Tucked away in a sea of memorial is a small yet distinguished structure that recognizes the ultimate sacrifice of 455 District residents in World War I: the District of Columbia War Memorial.

Authorized by Congress in 1924, and paid for by the District and dedicated in 1931, the small memorial located between the Lincoln Memorial and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial re-opened today at 11 a.m. after a year’s worth of repairs funded by $3.6 million of federal stimulus funds.

Doubts about the memorial’s future remain, though, as several bills have been introduced in Congress to nationalize the memorial to commemorate the sacrifice made by all Americans during the Great War. That move is widely opposed by local officials and civic organizations, who argue that it was paid for by D.C. residents and should separately recognize those that died fighting abroad without even enjoying the same democratic rights as their fellow soldiers from the 50 states.

D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, who is pushing a measure in the House for a separate national World War I memorial, spoke at today’s event, alongside Mayor Vince Gray.