Archinect - News

Revised design for the Eisenhower memorial released

2017-01-17T12:59:00-05:00

The road to a Dwight D. Eisenhower memorial has been anything but smooth. Frank Gehry’s original plans for the project were nixed by critics—most notably, the Eisenhower family. But, finally, all parties reached an agreement last fall and the project is going forward. Now, Gehry and Partners and AECOM have released images of the (hopefully) final design, which will be presented publicly later this month.

The revision include changing the image depicted on the massive 440 ft.-long woven-metal tapestry. Previously, the image was going to depict Abilene, Kansas, where Eisenhower grew up. Now it’s going to show an aerial view of Normandy, site of the D-Day invasion. Additionally, a statue of a young Eisenhower was moved from the center of the site to its margins.

Gehry's modified Eisenhower Memorial design accepted by Eisenhower family

2016-09-20T12:54:00-04:00

After more than four years of wrangling over Frank Gehry's proposal for the Eisenhower memorial, the Eisenhower family has removed its objections to a modified version of the initial design. Although information about specific design changes and compromises was scant, according to Reuters the controversial steel "tapestries" will remain in some form on the family-approved version, even though Justin Shubow, president of the National Civic Art Society, referred to them as invoking the problematic imagery of an "iron curtain."

For more on the fraught history of the Eisenhower Memorial:

Gehry's modified Eisenhower Memorial design gets green light from National Capital Planning Commission

2015-07-09T18:21:00-04:00

Architect Frank Gehry’s modified design for the National Eisenhower Memorial received final approval from the National Capital Planning Commission Thursday, the final step in the federal approval process that has dragged on since 2011. The commission voted 9 to 1 to move forward with the design for a memorial park on a four-acre site along Independence Avenue in Southwest Washington.

Previously in the Archinect news:

Gehry's Revised Eisenhower Memorial Loses Two Controversial Tapestries, But Concerns Remain

2014-09-05T13:36:00-04:00

[...] Frank Gehry has once again revised his design for a long-delayed memorial to President Dwight D. Eisenhower, removing two controversial metal tapestries that would have flanked the installation and two columns. The revised design was shown today to the National Capital Planning Commission, whose members for the most part seemed receptive to moving forward with the plan. But discussion over remaining 80-foot columns — from placement to height to necessity — hinted at possible issues.

Previously

Eisenhower memorial, politics as usual

2014-08-13T15:41:00-04:00

Regardless, there are two paths forward. One is to scrap the project and start over with an open public competition, which would cost around $17 million, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The other is to push forward with the existing plan to finalize the memorial design and begin breaking ground. We favor the latter. [...] And the current design is nowhere near a “monstrosity,” as some have called it; it is a novel take on memorialization [...].

Previously

I Like Ike (and His Memorial)

2012-03-23T14:39:00-04:00

"What has fueled the Eisenhower memorial controversy in the media are the public pronouncements of two of the president’s granddaughters, Susan and Anne Eisenhower, who have proclaimed themselves dissatisfied with the design. Understandably, their position is being taken seriously. Yet I am concerned that the growing public brouhaha will ultimately weaken the memorial design."

Witold Ribczynski adds his opinion and some new information to the Eisenhower Memorial design debate with this Op-ed piece for The New York Times.