Gehry Revises Eisenhower Memorial Design

John Hill

11. September 2014

September 2014 design. All images courtesy of Eisenhower Memorial Committee

Gehry and the Eisenhower Memorial Commission have unveiled the latest design for the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial in Washington, DC, following the National Capital Planning Commission's rejection of the design in April of this year.

As we reported in April on the ongoing saga of the Ike Memorial, the NCPC rejected Gehry's design because its massive columns and tapestries would block views of the Capitol building, as seen below. In the latest iteration, above, these columns have been reduced in number and the tapestries removed. The EMC officially describes the changes as follows:

- The design revisions eliminate the East and West Tapestries, allowing the influence of the adjacent buildings to define and unify the site.

- The northern singular columns are set back more than 47 feet from the Independence Avenue Right-of-Way and are fully within the planes of the adjacent building facades.

- The revised design has widened the Maryland Avenue view corridor from 95 feet to 135 feet. This creates a more proportionally horizontal framing of the U.S. Capitol.

- Original concept included four columns that were within the 160-foot Right-of-Way. With the elimination of the side tapestries, the revised plan now includes only two columns within the southern edge of 160 foot Right of Way.

According to the NCPC's website, which includes voluminous documentation of the controversial project, "The memorial sponsor provided an informational update on the project's status at the September 2014 Commission meeting. NCPC anticipates reviewing the updated design later this fall." Stay tuned for more Memorial excitement.