 In the minds of many Americans, Arlington National Cemetery stands out not only as an honored resting place for our fallen military heroes, but also as an important symbol of the respect our country has for those that have served in our nation's defense. The headstones, markers, and monuments found throughout the cemetery remind us as they pay tribute to the individuals and events that have been part of that service. One of the most inspiring things about Arlington National Cemetery is its unique role in representing and memorializing American history. We have serviced men and women from every major conflict, from the American Revolution to today, interred in these hollow grounds. The history of our nation struggles etched in stone on the marble that adorns each of the 639 acres that make up the cemetery. One memorial stands out as an important symbol of sacrificing commitment and is the very centerpiece of the cemetery, the Arlington National Cemetery Memorial Amphitheater. May 15, 2020, marks the 100th anniversary of the dedication of the Memorial Amphitheater. In that 100 years, the amphitheater, like our nation, has experienced change and growth. The Arlington Memorial Amphitheater is a large marble structure composed of an open, semi-elliptical amphitheater surrounded by a colonnaded, covered arcade and attached to a two-story reception hall building. There is a large portico on the west side of the arcade, with smaller porticoes along the north and south sides of the arcade. A large, semi-oval, two-level stage is the focal point of the amphitheater and is attached to the reception hall building at its rear. The amphitheater is placed so that when standing on the stage, the mast of the USS Maine is clearly visible behind the west portico. Arlington Memorial Amphitheater is usually associated with World War I, both because it was completed in 1920 shortly after the war ended and because of the co-located presence of the tomb of the unknown soldier. However, the origins of the amphitheater lay in the American Civil War, which occurred in 1861 and 1865. In the immediate aftermath of the war, communities both north and south began the practice of annually decorating the graves of Civil War veterans. The original Decoration Day was held with a speech behind Arlington House, the former home of Robert E. Lee, and soon it was realized that the growing celebrations for Decoration Day would need a venue to host them. In 1873, the first amphitheater was built at Arlington National Cemetery. Now referred to as Tanner Amphitheater, this was a small, simple amphitheater located near Arlington House. The ceremonies quickly outgrew this venue and in 1908, Congress formed the Arlington Memorial Amphitheater Commission to design and oversee construction of a new, permanent amphitheater. While a simple, pastoral amphitheater had fit American ideas of death and honor in the 19th century, a new century and new world power required something more grand. It was 1913 before Congress authorized construction and 1915 before money was appropriated. In an October of 1915, a ceremony was held with President Wilson using a ceremonial trowel to symbolically set the cornerstone. Following the cornerstone laying ceremony, construction began immediately and initially progressed rapidly with an intended completion date of February of 1917. However, delays of various causes ensued as construction progressed. One of the main issues was with obtaining an adequate supply of marble. With the building almost entirely clad with marble, this imposed inevitable delays on overall construction. Other delays were imposed by changes in the plans for the building. There were significant delays due to weather. More significantly, as the work stretched on the U.S. was drawn inexorably into the First World War, this resulted in severe labor shortages as well as wartime restrictions on transportation that made moving material to the site difficult. By spring 1920, the amphitheater was complete and ready to be dedicated. The date of May 15 was selected for the ceremony. A grand parade proceeded from the National Mall across the 17th Street Bridge and into the cemetery. Following the parade, a ceremony was held in the amphitheater. The speeches delivered by the Secretaries of War and the Navy, the leaders of the Grand Armory of the Republic and the United Spanish War Veterans, and by General Peyton C. March, Chief of Staff, United States Army. While the amphitheater was dedicated in 1920, the world in the United States had changed since construction had began. While the most obvious World War influence was the decision to add a tomb of the unknown soldier to the Eastern Plaza, barely a year following the dedication, there was not enough time to design a proper tomb before the funeral ceremony. The unknown was therefore initially buried under a very simple tomb set into the stairs of the Eastern Plaza. The tomb was completed and unveiled without ceremony in 1932. The tomb of the unknown soldier is guarded continuously by troops from the Third Infantry Regiment, the Old Guard. The memorial amphitheater is popular with both American and international tourists, and is the site of frequent wreath-laying ceremonies as well as larger ceremonies, including especially those held each year on Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Once primarily a site of remembrance associated with the specific wars engraved on its arcade, the amphitheater and the adjacent tomb have come to commemorate all U.S. conflicts. While cast in marble and designed to be permanent, Arlington Memorial Amphitheater has changed along with America in the way we honor our war dead. As we consider the impressive architecture of the Memorial Amphitheater and what it represents, we can appreciate the inspiration that led to its creation and how a desire to honor our veterans grew from the humble beginnings of Tanner Amphitheater to the iconic structure of the Arlington National Cemetery Memorial Amphitheater. Tanner Amphitheater was constructed of brick and wood and a little bit of cast iron. By the time the idea of creating a bigger amphitheater came around, the country was establishing itself and thinking of itself as a major world power. The country wanted to build a bigger, grander amphitheater, and that's what we have here, the marble and steel Beaux-Arts structure. This Beaux-Arts style was very popular at the turn of the last century. Its precedents, of course, are the Greek and Roman Republic buildings. Thomas Hastings was the architect for this structure. This was his masterwork and it really has held up well over time. Every decade, the structure gets some major change. The first big change here was the placement of the Tomb of the Unknown in 1921 and following soon after that was the design of the grand staircase that comes up from the lower level of the cemetery up to the Tomb of the Unknown. As we know it today, the big, big change that came in the early 1970s was the plaza elevated along the east front of the reception building and that was brought up so visitors here could better see the changing of the guard and better see the Tomb of the Unknown. Millions of people come here every year and that can wear out of structure. It's hard to keep up with a gentle maintenance practice. We are now in the midst of conserving all the doors on the building. These are very thick doors with wonderful hardware, all original. Even the windows are original with original glass, wood, hardware and these are all being upgraded in order for it to last another hundred years. We started in 2014 to look at what this building needed and one of the things we noted was the number of stains on the buildings and as we got into it we realized that this was a biofilm. We started a series of testing of different products and methods to help us see which product would be the best in preserving the marble and getting that dark stain kind of lightened up and that is zinc oxide. We're now applying it on the building. It is environmentally safe and it has a long life. Science, engineering and historical expertise are required to preserve the Memorial Amphitheater and all of those disciplines were needed as the 100th anniversary created a unique opportunity for the Arlington National Cemetery staff. As part of our celebration of the centennial of the Memorial Amphitheater we recently opened the cornerstone on the east terrace of the Memorial Amphitheater. The time capsule was 105 years old because it was placed in the cornerstone in 1915 but the building actually didn't complete construction until 1920. This is not the original location of the cornerstone. The original cornerstone was covered in the 1970s when this east terrace was added to the building. The cornerstone was removed and taken to the National Archives for safe storage until the 1990s when it was finally placed into the cornerstone. It took us a couple hours but there was no great difficulty in removing the stone. So inside the cornerstone we found two objects. One was the original copper box from 1915. The second object was a Peter Pan peanut butter jar which the ANC team had added when they replaced the cornerstone. So this is over 100 years in the making. This Memorial Valley box is placed in the cornerstone that Woodrow Wilson laid on October 13, 1915. On top of it is an engraved plaque of all of the Memorial Amphitheater Commission members and inside is a small box with plate glass around it and inside of that box is an American flag, a copy of the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and other historical memorabilia including coins and stamps of the day. We assembled a team of the ANC conservator historian and facilities maintenance team to open the box. We had created a clean space in the chapel within the Memorial Amphitheater. Once we had opened a corner of it with a series of drill pilot holes we were able to insert a poroscope to see where the contents were inside. At that point we were able to see that there was actually a second copper box within. We were able to cut off the lid of the outer box safely. We were able to lift out the inner copper box. We carefully cut the solder lines on the box. We were able to pry open a corner again and once again stick a poroscope inside. At this point we could see the historical objects. We could see they appeared to be dry in a good condition. We used a series of stainless steel blades and hacksaws to carefully cut the lid off of the inner time capsule. We're excited. It was very exciting to open the time capsule to see things that had not been seen for 105 years. Let me start by saying a few words about memorabilia boxes and time capsules. It is an American concept. The concept is to celebrate the construction of a new institution, a new building, an important new building by providing an opportunity to share what life was like at that particular time in our history. And I must say, the eyes of the archivist, this stuff is in great shape. Those original folks who were responsible for creating the process did a great job. We have the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution as it existed at that point in our history, going through 17 amendments. It's ironic that we're this year celebrating the 19th amendment with women getting the vote, and it doesn't appear in this version of the Constitution. Declaration of Independence, which doesn't get added to, so it's the same declaration that's sitting in my rotunda down the street. One of my favorite things I was so excited to see is this wonderful example of red tape. All of the records in the National Archives when they were moved into that building were carefully protected with wrappings that were held together with this red tape. And this is where the saying comes about cutting through the red tape. It is actually literally the red tape. The inclusion of an American flag is kind of standard in these kinds of memorabilia boxes. And the interesting thing about this flag is the date, of course, was this was done in 1915. And the flag here has 46 stars when there were actually 48 states in 1915. And I would guess having been involved in situations like this that they grabbed what was ever available. And this was the flag that entered the memorabilia box. We are placed in a new capsule in the cornerstone, this one representing the dedicated men and women that serve here at the National Cemetery in the year 2020 to our successors in the year 2120. We are a great people honoring the service and sacrifice to a grateful nation. The Memorial Amphitheater has inspired generations of Americans as a symbol of national pride. And just as those who placed the original time capsule 100 years ago, a new generation will leave reminders of today's America in that same cornerstone to be celebrated 100 years from now.