On November 11, 1918, after more than four years of the most brutal combat humanity had ever known, the Great War was officially ended. Relief at the war's end and shock at the news coming out of Europe hit the people of Kansas City deeply. In 1919, the desire for a permanent memorial inspired the citizens to donate $2.5 million in ten days to honor the dead and wounded. The memorial was completed by 1924 and was dedicated by President Calvin Coolidge in front of a crowd of 150,000 people.
Time took its toll on the museum and in 1994, it was closed due to questions of safety. Four years later, the people of Kansas City again banded together to raise money to restore the museum, passing a half cent sales tax for 18 months to fund the project. In the end, money from around the country was sent to the Liberty Memorial Association, totaling $102 million.
The museum was dedicated by Congress as the official World War One museum in 2004. It was opened to the general public on December 2, 2006 as the National World War One Museum at Liberty Memorial.
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