Peace Arch

The Peace Arch is of social, cultural, and aesthetic significance, and particularly of symbolic importance, with its public message of kinship and shared ideals between the two countries.

The arch is of social value as an enduring monument known to successive generations as a thing of beauty and consequence. It is culturally significant because it represents a time when each country felt a willingness to publicly express their shared sense of friendship and openness toward the other.

The aesthetics are important for having a distinctly American character, showing elements common to institutional buildings and monuments found in that country. The American character of the Classical Revival design conveys the history of the impetus for the construction of the monument: Samuel Hill, citizen of Seattle, was the driving force behind the Good Roads Association of Washington State, and the building of the arch. The design is significant for being the work not of an American, but of the London architect H.W. Corbett, who was commissioned by Hill to design the arch on a pile foundation that was thought to be very forward-thinking in its ability to withstand the shock of an earthquake.

Currently listed on the United States National Register of Historic places, the Peace Arch has spurred advocacy groups on both sides of the border for its importance as a symbol of peace; a 75th anniversary group formed in 1995 has continued to work towards the protection and conservation of the Peace Arch.

The monument makes plain the lasting peaceful ties between the countries, by dissolving the borderline in its immediate environs. Its cross-border accessible and permeable nature embodies the openness expressed in the inscription on the Canadian side: "BRETHREN DWELLING TOGETHER IN UNITY".