Highlights
- The City of Phoenix broke ground Saturday on the USS Phoenix Cold War Monument at Steele Indian School Park, near 3rd Street and Indian School Road.
- The foundation has raised $3.6 million of its $4 million goal; 65 tons of salvaged submarine parts sit in storage at Papago Park Military Reservation.
- The monument is expected to open to the public in approximately one year, with a major milestone being the transport of submarine parts from Papago Park.
- Foundation board member Captain Pete Lumianski, USN (ret.), said the project has been in progress since 1989.
The USS Phoenix Cold War Monument Foundation broke ground Saturday on a public monument at Steele Indian School Park, near 3rd Street and Indian School Road in Phoenix, capping a project that foundation members have pursued since 1989. The monument is expected to open to the public in about one year.
The centerpiece will be 65 tons of salvaged parts from the USS Phoenix (SSN 702), a decommissioned Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine, currently in storage at the Papago Park Military Reservation. Transporting those parts to the park is the next major construction milestone, and the foundation plans to invite media for that event.
Captain Pete Lumianski, USN (ret.), a board member of the foundation, described the groundbreaking as the product of roughly three decades of effort. The monument is designed as an educational installation as well as a memorial, intended to honor all branches of service: Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine. According to the source, the Cold War lasted 45 years, from 1946 to 1991, and encompasses the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf Wars, the Space Race, and the Cuban Missile Crisis.
The foundation has set a fundraising goal of $4 million and has raised approximately $3.6 million, or 90% of its target. It is also seeking additional funds to support long-term maintenance and operation of the monument in partnership with the City of Phoenix.
The groundbreaking was also reported by 12News.
The foundation expects to complete construction and open the monument to the public by mid-2027.
Sources
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- AZ Family (3TV/CBS5) retrieved 02/08/2026 02:59
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 02/08/2026 02:59. Every claim traces to a source.
