Completed in 1992, the plaza is named after Ellisworth P. Bertholf, the first Commandant of the modern-day Coast Guard. He was awarded the Gold Medal of Honor during the Port Barrow Overland Relief Expedition of 1897-1898. In 1915, Bertholf was instrumental in implementing the merger of the U.S. Life Saving Service with the Revenue Cutter Service creating the Coast Guard. The plaza is the site of several plaques commemorating Coast Guard personnel who served in WWII.