Yule Marble - Replace Vs. Repair: Tomb of The Unknowns

Replace Vs. Repair: Tomb of The Unknowns

Shortly after assembly of the Tomb was completed on 9 April 1932, cracks developed in the main block (wreaths, Greek figures and the inscription) and grew longer over time. The cracks were filled in 1974 and 1989. By 1990, the Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) was studying options, including replacing the damaged block. ANC prepared a 15 August 2006 draft memorandum of agreement to replace the damaged marble.

While ANC was studying the situation, a donated replacement block was provided by George Haines, a retired entrepreneur and car dealer in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. In September 2002, he read that the quarry crew "was getting ready to look for and replace the tomb's marble and that the (Veterans Administration) and Arlington were accepting bids on the replacement piece." With that he decided to pay the $31,000 for the replacement block. Arlington National Cemetery Superintendent John Metzler requested a letter on the donation and was sent one. Mr Haines also arranged for free transportation to Arlington National Cemetery. In 2003 a prospective block was found and quarrying began. To record the activity, Ron Bailey photographed the event. When the block came free from the mountain, imperfections were found so the block was rejected. (The heart of the block was used for a statue of President George H.W. Bush.) Another search started with a flawless block quarried and brought down to the storage area in Marble in 2005. Since 2005, the block has remained on the same yellow flatbed trailer in the north-west corner of the storage yard due to replacement opposition.

Opposition to replacing the block had been growing and included such groups as the National Trust for Historic Preservation. On 26 September 2007, the Senate passed the Akaka-Webb amendment to prohibit replacing the cracked Tomb marble. On 26 June 2009, the Army and ANC announced the Tomb would be repaired. The repairs of April 2010 failed after two months and were redone in September 2011. A 21 October 2011 inspection by the Army Corps of Engineers and other experts pronounced the repairs successful.