May 20, 2013 – Forrester Construction Company is pleased to announce that it has just completed the construction of the recently opened Columbarium Court No. 9. Located within Arlington National Cemetery, a National Historic Landmark District, the new two-acre Columbarium Court is based at the corner of Patton and York drives, adjacent to Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall.

This project, awarded to Forrester by the US Army Corps of Engineers, required near perfect quality and pristine finishes ensuring longevity and suitability in the greenscape of Arlington National Cemetery. The third project Forrester has built for this historic cemetery, work involved significant grading, landscaping, environmental management and installation of decorative and commemorative stonework, including flagstone walkways.

Columbarium Court No. 9 is nearly the length of two football fields at 116-feet wide, 11-feet tall and 540-feet long. The foundation of the structure is auger cast piles ranging in depth from 15 to 25 feet. More than 6,000 cubic yards of poured-in-place concrete clad with limestone and granite was used to build the structure. The project features interior and exterior landscaping with a central water fountain, new irrigation and underground electrical systems and storm water management.

Arlington National Cemetery, which opened in 1864 and spans more than 624 acres, is the final resting place for more than 400,000 active duty service members, veterans and their families and is visited by more than 3 million people each year, including a visit this month by Britain’s Prince Harry paying tribute to America’s military. Part of the cemetery’s long-term expansion plan, Columbarium Court No. 9 provides more than 20,000 niches that can hold three to four urns each.

“The Forrester team is proud to have constructed such an important project that provides a final resting place for the nation’s active duty military, veterans and their families,” says Rick Forrester, Forrester’s Executive Vice President of Operations. “We are also pleased to have delivered the Columbarium ahead of schedule and under budget.”

The Columbarium Court No. 9 dedication ceremony this month included a full-honors committal service for the remains of six unclaimed veterans from all branches of the military who served in the Civil War, Vietnam and World Wars I and II.