BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Officers:

Judy Scott Feldman, Ph.D. Chair August 14, 2013 W. Kent Cooper, FAIA Vice Chair To Executive Director Marcel Acosta and NCPC Commissioners: George H.F. Oberlander, AICP Vice Chair The National Coalition to Save Our Mall has learned that the National Capital Joseph D. West, Esq. Planning Commission may review once again the Memorial design Treasurer concept at its September 12th Commission meeting. We would like to remind the Lisa Benton-Short, Ph.D. staff and Commissioners that the House Natural Resources Committee is considering Secretary legislation directing the Eisenhower Commission to stop action on the current design, and is considering removing funding for the project. The Coalition believes M.J. “Jay” Brodie, FAIA Director that NCPC should not take any action on the Memorial proposal until Congress has resolved this potential legislation. Charles I. Cassell, FAIA Director Furthermore, the Coalition continues to have concerns that the Section 106 and Ellen Goldstein Director NEPA process seems to be moving ahead without serious attention to the Commemorative Works Act as it pertains to protection of the L'Enfant Plan of George Idelson Director Washington:

David H. Marlin, Esq. Director • The Commemorative Works Act states its purpose is to protect the L'Enfant and McMillan Plans for Washington. Arthur Cotton Moore, FAIA Director • The design guidelines prepared by NCPC and other government agencies some years ago (2006?) are not consistent with the L'Enfant Plan: they call

3rd CENTURY MALL for a 50 foot cartway when in fact the L'Enfant Plan calls for 160 foot ADVISORS avenues.

Henry Arnold • NPS and NCPC relied upon the National Register of Historic Places Landscape Architect documents for identifying the qualities of the L'Enfant Plan. But that Gordon Binder “nomination” has been acknowledged to be inadequate. No decisions should Senior Fellow World Wildlife Fund be based on that outdated document. • The NPS was required in the Programmatic Agreement for the African Louis Kriser Kriser Enterprises, LLP American Museum to revise the L'Enfant Plan nomination. The current nomination makes no mention of Maryland Avenue's crucial importance to Frank Mankiewicz Hill & Knowlton the design geometry and symbolism of the L'Enfant Plan. We believe the revised nomination should correct that deficiency. Thus the revision is Amy Meyer Co-chair, People for A Golden crucial to any NCPC review, and for the Section 106 and NEPA process. Gate National Recreation Area Attached are two letters from 2012 that make clear the seriousness with • Kay Murphy which members of Congress as well as NPS leadership take the inadequacies Nonprofit Administration of the National Register nomination for the L’Enfant Plan and the need for

William K. Reilly accurate data for planning purposes. Former Administrator, EPA • NPS states in the 2012 letter that it is 2 years into a 3 year process of rewrite. Robert E. Simon, Jr. That process should now be completed, or will soon be completed. The new Founder, Reston, Va. nomination should be taken as the new official authority on the L'Enfant Plan.

• The new, revised nomination should be the touchstone in evaluating National Coalition to Save Our Mall P. O. Box 4709 Rockville, MD 20849 301-340-3938 [email protected] www.savethemall.org

compliance with the Commemorative Works Act. • Usually in its Executive Director’s Recommendations NCPC staff cite the CWA only with respect to the moratorium on new memorials. We urge NCPC to apply the purpose of CWA -- protection of Washington’s historic plans -- to its evaluation. • The new nomination should be a crucial source for evaluating the Memorial design compliance with historic preservation, environmental, and other laws.

The Coalition has made these points concerning the importance of following the historic L’Enfant and McMillan Plans in designing the Eisenhower Memorial in comments to NPS, NCPC, and in letters in The Washington Post and The New York Times. We believe our comments have been ignored or dismissed. Articles and editorials in both papers instead present any opposition to the Memorial design as a matter of style -- classicists vs. modernists -- or opposition by family members. We have been sorely disappointed at the public silence from any federal or DC agency regarding their responsibility to support the historic plans of Washington, DC. The memorial design given concept approval last month by the Commission of Fine Arts does not appear to recognize the L'Enfant concept for Maryland Avenue. We believe that decision was wrong; Fine Art’s response is basically a political rather than a planning decision. We believe that a planning response is called for here.

The NCPC is required to follow historic preservation process. It is premature to take any action because the is in the process of rewriting the National Register of Historic Places nomination for the L'Enfant Plan, as described above and in the two attached letters from Congress and the NPS. The rewrite should be completed and presented for public review of its documentation, findings, and interpretations of the significance of the Eisenhower Memorial site in the L’Enfant and McMillan Plans. That rewrite should be considered a crucial part of any NCPC action since it may affect the impact of the Memorial on historic resources at this particular location on Maryland Avenue.

Sincerely,

Judy Scott Feldman, Ph.D. Chair and President

Attachment includes 2 letters: one from Congress, the other from NPS

National Coalition to Save Our Mall P. O. Box 4709 Rockville, MD 20849 301-340-3938 [email protected] www.savethemall.org

Thank you for your efforts in coordinating the review of the Eisenhower Memorial. Several years ago I was involved with the site selection effort and have been following the project with great interest. I have worked previously with the NCPC staff on the Memorials and Museums Master Plan and have been involved with Washington area urban design efforts for many years, including the World War II memorial.

I would like to comment on the proposed design of the Eisenhower Memorial. While I am a proponent of the efforts to locate the memorial at this site, I do not support the memorial design that has been presented. Overall the design concept as it has evolved has not reached a level of prominence that would be fitting for the Eisenhower presidency or the site upon which it is proposed.

The design elements in my opinion are incidental and the huge concrete columns and screens are completely out of scale and character with their urban setting. As I have witnessed the memorial concept and its alternatives develop, I am not impressed with the outcome of any. The unfortunate insistence of the current designers upon using the enormous billboard-style metal screens and their highway-scaled column supports result in visual conflicts with the monumental and historic context of this site. Surely there needs to be new direction to this important project.

I hope that we can depend upon the guidance of the National Capital Planning Commission and the National Park Service to steer the course of this memorial design in a direction that will complement the accomplishments and memory of this American President while respecting the context of this commanding L’Enfant inspired urban site.

Rod Mercer, FASLA, RLA Planning and Urban Design Lead URS Planning Architecture Engineering 2020 K Street NW, Suite 300 Washington DC 20006 [email protected] Direct: 202.772.0605 Cell: 202.549.4219 Main: 202.872.0277 www.urs.com

I would like to thank the Commission for its ongoing efforts in coordinating the review of the Eisenhower Memorial. Having been involved with the site selection effort and having worked with the NCPC staff on the Memorials and Museums Master Plan, I have closely followed the development of the present design.

I would like to support the NCPC findings today on the proposed design of the Eisenhower Memorial. While I am a proponent of the efforts to locate the memorial at this site, I do not support the memorial design that has been presented. Overall the design concept has not reached a level of prominence and character that would be fitting for the Eisenhower presidency or the site upon which it is proposed.

The design elements in my opinion are incidental and the large perimeter features are out of scale with their urban setting. As the memorial concept has developed, the billboard-scaled metal screens and their highway-scaled columns result in significant visual conflicts with the monumental and historic context of this site. As the NCPC findings suggest, there needs to be new design direction to this important project.

We look to the National Capital Planning Commission, the Eisenhower Memorial Commission, and all related federal review agencies to steer the course of this memorial design in a direction that will complement the accomplishments and memory of this American President while respecting the context of this commanding L’Enfant inspired urban site.

Thank you for your consideration of these remarks.

Rodney P. Mercer, FASLA, RLA Washington DC

Commissioners March 27, 2014 National Capital Planning Commission 401 9th Street NW Washington, DC 20004

Re: Eisenhower Memorial

American Bird Conservancy (ABC) applauds the Eisenhower Memorial Commission for their successful efforts to make the design of the Eisenhower Memorial friendly to birds. Man-made structures kill over half a billion birds each year in the U.S. alone, birds of intrinsic, cultural and economic significance. However, there are many simple ways to make any structure less threatening.

Birds migrating at night in spring and fall are attracted by light from buildings into the built environment where they can be injured by glass, wires and other dangers. The Eisenhower Memorial Commission worked with the General Services Administration, the building owner, to establish a Lights Out policy for the LBJ Building behind the Memorial. The building occupant, the US Department of Education, has subsequently initiated that policy formally. In addition, the spacing of the horizontal structural cables for the tapestries edging the Eisenhower Memorial was adjusted from being 12 inches on center to the less than 3 inch spacing effective in reducing bird hits.

Among President Eisenhower’s many achievements, his relationship with nature is often unremarked. However, Eisenhower was a member of two groups noted for their concern with environmental issues, family farmers and hunters. In his retirement, Eisenhower painted many landscapes. In the words of Art Historian Sister Wendy Beckett ‘Eisenhower was interested in undamaged nature’. This was demonstrated by one of President Eisenhower’s most important and lasting actions, creation in 1960, by Executive Order, of the National Alaskan Wildlife Range, “for the purpose of preserving unique wildlife, wilderness and recreational values”. It is fitting that the Eisenhower Memorial should reflect his valuation of the environment, as well as his other accomplishments.

Sincerely,

Christine Sheppard, Ph.D. Bird Collisions Campaign Manager

ABC is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of wild native birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. Founded in 1994, ABC has long been a leader in Partners in Flight and the North American Bird Conservation Initiative, and is the only U.S.-based group dedicated solely to overcoming the greatest threats facing native birds in the Western Hemisphere. ABC is also the leading force in ongoing efforts to protect birds from collisions, with the only national bird collisions program.

Cc: Eisenhower Memorial Commission 1629 K Street NW Washington, DC 20006

1731 Connecticut Avenue, NW, 3rd Floor  Washington, D.C. 20009 Tel: 202-234-7181  Fax: 202-234-7182  [email protected]  www.abcbirds.org Last one received on March 19, 2013

42 comments

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Mon 10/17/2011 7:14 AM [email protected]

Dear NCPC,

I’m a DC architect since 1989 and longtime resident of the area (42 years) and I attended DC public schools. I’m very concerned about what appears to be an inappropriate form and location for the Eisenhower memorial. The form which appears to be netting and what looks like smoke stacks is unbefitting a direct view shed of the US Capitol. It is also at once strangely disrespectful of Eisenhower by being an intersection and strangely inappropriate that a politician be honored with a mall memorial when only the founder (Washington) and the re-founder (Lincoln) of our nation were previously so honored.

What is more, this project is an obvious folly from a bygone era of profligate spending and should be cancelled. It is the height of folly, in fact, to waste so much money on a single distracting and garish intersection while the very national infrastructure that Eisenhower so bravely created is falling apart throughout the country and even in DC itself.

This project is both an insult to Eisenhower and to the current citizenry which is living with failing roads and bridges and a sickening lack of overdue expansion to roads that should have been expanded 30 years ago such as the deeply troubled I-95 corridor.

Please cancel this profoundly sad footnote in our national history. It will be a major embarrassment to all involved if executed.

Drake Wauters, AIA, CSI, LEED AP Box NN, McLean, VA 22101 703-626-5748, phone 703-991-7517, fax

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Tue 1/10/2012 5:03 PM [email protected]

I am writing to ask that you count me among those most adamantly opposed to the ill conceived design that has been submitted in this matter. Please do not let this design be imposed upon us.

Thank you for your attention.

Bettina Briggs 221 Wellington Street, Apt. 26 Fall River, MA 02721

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Tue 1/10/2012 6:28 PM [email protected]

Dear Members of the National Capitol Planning Commission:

Last one received on March 19, 2013

I am writing to express my SUPPORT for delaying the progress of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial until the family’s and public’s concerns are met.

The proposed design is disastrous to the image of the former President, the fabric of the Nation’s Capital, and the representation of the entire Nation. Not only is it a mockery of the President who bravely led our country at perhaps one it’s most vulnerable times, but it is a mockery of our Great Nation, as well as those who have fought to give us our freedom. The memorial does nothing to memorialize and tell the story of the President’s greatest achievements in office, or in life.

A presidential monument memorializing one of our great presidents speaks as loudly to other countries as it does to our own people. Hence, the memorial as currently presented, will surely present an image of our Great Nation that will invite mockery and ridicule from other nations, hardly the position into which our country should put itself EVER.

Our leaders should be memorialized for their greatest achievements, not their childhood characteristics; and certainly not portrayed by an artist who supports sexual imagery of children.

Regarding the architecture, or lack of it, Gehry’s gratuitous design has no place in Washington’s rich neoclassical fabric. I cannot believe that the Architect of the Capitol would allow such a monstrosity in his jurisdiction.

Finally, the Memorial competition was secretive, exclusive, and undemocratic. This is UNACCEPTABLE in the United States of America.

Sincerely,

GERALD FORSBURG Founder • Managing Principal • Principal Designer

GERALD FORSBURG ASSOCIATES, LLC Preserving the Past. Designing the Future. PO Box 957 • 5973 King Street • Mount Jackson, VA 22842 • TEL: 540-477-2377 www.ForsburgAssociates.com

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Tue 1/10/2012 6:54 PM [email protected]

Dear Members of the National Capitol Planning Commission,

I cannot fathom how your commission can continue to consider this “memorial” design that comprises large cylinders at the scale of industrial grain silos linked together by “tapestries” of chain-link fencing to be a suitable design to commemorate a great president and a World War II general. I urge you to save the city of Washington D. C. and abandon the planning of this massive piece of construction.

Thank you, Michael Rouchell

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Tue 1/10/2012 9:47 PM [email protected]

Last one received on March 19, 2013

Please REJECT the Eisenhower memorial until it is redesigned. The design is not timeless, it is not classic, it is not modern, and it does not depict a flattering picture of the President, the city, or ncpc. It also blocks the view of the Dept of Education and has no real green spaces. PLEASE change the design, this is coming from a DC resident.

Thank you KYLE

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Wed 1/11/2012 2:05 PM [email protected]

The purpose of this design, you and I know, is to deny the values and virtues personified by Eisenhower. It does not honor him nor that for which he served his whole life. Do not build it.

Michael Burke Bx, NY 10463

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Wed 1/11/2012 5:26 PM [email protected]

Please do not allow money to be spent on an unworthy tribute to a great American.

Lanny Harer, CMC Vice President FMI Corporation 5171 Glenwood Avenue Raleigh, NC 27612 Direct: 919.785.9226 e-mail: web site:

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Thu 1/12/2012 8:58 AM [email protected]

I agree with Kevin O'Brian's (columnist in the Cleveland Plain Dealer) statement about the planned , "His exceptional leadership earned him a place in American and world history, and yes, a place among the capital's memorials. But not the place Frank Gehry has in mind".

To reduce reduce the leader of the Normandy invasion and one of our great presidents to a barefoot child seems patently absurd.

Jeanne O'Malley

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Thu 1/12/2012 5:09 PM [email protected]

To Whom It May Concern: Last one received on March 19, 2013

I agree with the Eisenhower family that the memorial should contain a statue of the greatest General who fought in World War 2, the greatest conflict the world has known. Perhaps the statue of the Kansas barefoot boy could be facing the statue of this great General.

With Sincerity, Dr. J.F. Sparks Guntersville, Al

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Tue 1/17/2012 1:47 PM [email protected]

Disgusting!

As a historical sculptor with works at several National Parks depicting our American heroes, I am appalled at the design. There is nothing classic about it and would cause no one to leave the sidewalk to venture in and find . Tell this sculptor to go home and take his toys with him if this is the best he can do. I now wish I would have been in the running for consideration of this most important memorial. I feel sorry for the family.

Gary

Casteel Sculptures, LLC PO Box 246 Cashtown, Pa. 17310 717-387-0461 Studio cell www.garycasteel.com

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Wed 1/18/2012 3:27 PM [email protected]

Dear NCPC:

I sent a letter to the Eisenhower Memorial Commission in response to the Gehry Design discussed in the Washington Post (December 18, 2011).

Learning that the NCPC is reviewing the design, I am attaching a copy of the letter for consideration by the NCPC review committee as well.

Dwight D. Eisenhower has always represented the best of the United States and freedom. Freedom is not well represented by a wall.

Sincerely,

Claudia Vess Washington Artist/ Gallerist

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Thu 1/19/2012 9:36 AM [email protected]

Last one received on March 19, 2013

Dear Sir or Madam:

After viewing the initial design submitted for the Eisenhower Memorial, I object strenously to both the concept and design of the tribute.

President Eisenhower deserves a fitting, and traditional memorial in our nation's capital. Not an abstract, and unconventional look at his great career and life.

My father served in the ETO under Supreme Commander Eisenhower in WWII as an infantryman, and our family has visited the Eisenhower Museum and Birthplace in Abeline, KS as well as The United States Military Academy at West Point, NY. The depictions of The President are more appropriate at those locations, and the monstrosity proposed by Mr. Ghery neither does justice to this great leader, nor conveys the enormity of his impact on American and world life.

Please scrap and remake these plans, and commission a more conventional architecht. I reside near Cleveland, Ohio, and Mr. Ghery's work on the campus of Case Western Reserve University is an object of scorn for most, and at best, does not fit in with the beautiful early 20th Century campus. It sticks out like a sore, and rotten, thumb.

A more appropriate memorial could be designed similar to The Jefferson Memorial or Theodore Roosevelt Memorial. Statuary art of Ike as Supreme Commander in WWII with heroes of the conflict, Patton, Montgomery, Bradley planning the Great Crusade, and then as President in civilian garb, surrounded by his accomplishments and sayings ensconsed on the walls, would be a far more fitting tribute than this post- modern monstrosity currently envisioned.

Ike was not controversial, for the most part, and liked simple, American tradition and culture. Let's reward his accomplishments accordingly. His tastes were elegant but simple, not overly modern or dramatic. Let's honor his memory in the manner in which he lived.

Our nation's capital has many fitting tributes. The Eisenhower proposal would not be one of them. Don't we want The President to be remembered for HIS accomplishments, not the flawed vision of a modern architecht with no connection to The Man himself? Please heed the call of the Eisenhower Family, and create a simple and highly fitting tribute to our great leader.

Thank you for your strong consideration. Jim Trakas 6924 Brettin Drive Independence, Ohio 44131 216-524-2114

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Fri 1/20/2012 12:21 PM [email protected]

Dear Sir/Madam,

As a historian and an artist, I was disappointed to see the generic, faux-industrial design for the Eisenhower Memorial. Frankly, the design appears to be a poor man's version of Chicago's Millennium Park. A public memorial to a person or event should evoke the core tenets or nature thereof. Even if a passerby knows nothing about that person or event, he/she should gain an immediate sense of the reason for memorialization. A passerby to this proposed memorial would assume it is a park for children with weird metal panels.

Last one received on March 19, 2013

Mr. Gehry's expertise is in creating larger public spaces for general activities. His inexperience is grievously displayed in this design. The choice of sculptor is also poor. No other leader is depicted as a child in a Washington, D.C. memorial/monument. I sincerely doubt that you would have allowed a statue of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as a child. I urge you to rethink this design and open the competition to the public. The great Washington D.C. memorials and the city itself were products of open design competitions. An open process encourages public involvement and enthusiasm in history - a goal that the NCPC surely must support?

Thank you for your attention,

Samantha Chmelik

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Tue 1/24/2012 5:09 AM [email protected]

It's grotesque ... what are you people thinking?

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Tue 1/24/2012 9:33 AM [email protected]

I saw the proposal for the Eisenhower Memorial project. It is horrendous! Please stop any more activity until a permanent and respectful memorial can be designed and accepted by the family!

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Mon 1/30/2012 4:54 PM [email protected]

Will there be further opportunity for public comment on the Gehy-designed Eisenhower memorial?

Like members of the Eisenhower family, and numerous local designers and artists, I believe this design is ugly and inappropriate.

Thank you.

Jeremy Fretts, RA | NCARB Project Architect Niles Bolton Associates 703.836.0915 [email protected]

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Wed 2/8/2012 3:02 PM [email protected]

I was an Army Officer in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Maya Ling's design captures the poignancy of those I knew who are listed on the Wall.

Lawrence Halprin was a genius. Halprin's designs captured the human condition through his various manipulations of the landscape. For FDR, Halprin captured the humanity of the President and the longing for his humanity, wisdom and advice once more. Last one received on March 19, 2013

What Gehry captures in the Eisenhower Memorial is beyond me. I guess titanium glazed chicken wire stretched between towers could remind one of Kansas? Gehry is famous for billowing metallic sheets, leaky buildings and plywood shacks in Venice but what he is up to with Eisenhower leaves me in the dark.

Guess I am not sophisticated enough to get it. I would not pay a dime for the damn design.

Gehry's Eisenhower Memorial Design STINKS.

Chuck

charles desler architect 864 oak terrace placerville, ca 95667

http://charlesdeslerarchitect.blogspot.com 916 3374876

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Mon 2/13/2012 9:10 AM [email protected]

Dear Commission Members,

I am writing to urge you to listen to the Eisenhower family. Delay construction just as long as it takes to get this right. A few elderly veterans have nothing whatever to do with this memorial!!!! This memorial belongs to all the American people. I have absoltely no connection with the military, as a descendant of peacemaking Quakers, but I cherish beyond words the integrity and courage that Eisenhower brought to the winning of WWII and the making of peace as our President.

Won't you please focus on his dignity and majesty as a great American. His aspect as a farm boy has nothing whatever to do with his stature as a heroic leader.

And, without having seen the designs---if the family wants the surrounding barrier removed, Then for heaven's sake do as they ask!!!

This memorial will stand for all time, please give it the grace and beauty and honor that we owe this great man.

With thanks,

Nancy Farmer 1100 Gulf Shore Blvd, N Naples, Florida 34102

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Mon 2/13/2012 9:50 AM [email protected]

I am a child of the 40's. Most males in my family served in Europe or Japan during WW2, including my father.

I personally became aware of Eisenhower as a president, not a warrior. But it must be remembered that he was a hero of WW2 and that is what his Memorial should reflect. Last one received on March 19, 2013

Thank you for listening, A resident of the Maryland suburbs [email protected]

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Saturday, February 18, 2012 4:24 PM [email protected]

Please do what you can to scrap the Frank Gehry Eisenhower Memorial. I'm sure you've heard more than you want to about why. But as a citizen and an architectural professional, I ask you to find something worthy of both Eisenhower and the great traditions of our national capital.

Thank you.

______Denis R. McNamara, Ph.D. 1000 East Maple Avenue Mundelein, IL 60060

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Sun 2/19/2012 9:48 AM [email protected]

Dear Sirs,

I am writing with respect to the proposed Eisenhower Memorial. Please forward this note to the appropriate committee.

As an Architect, a student of American History and a citizen, I am deeply disturbed by the plan under consideration for the Eisenhower Memorial.

Though I do not live in the immediate area of our nation's capital, I have spent much time there and have worked on several projects there as a student and during my employment as a young architect. As a graduate student in architecture at Harvard, I proposed a museum of the American Civil War along F Street NW. I have worked on several project for the former Riggs Bank and later was a part of the project team for the World Bank.

Each spring, I lecture to local eighth grade students about the history of the city and power of L'Enfant's plan prior to their visits to the city. I want them to understand the power of the city they will visit, to understand it as a work of art. I stress the competitions from the Federal period for both the White House and the Capitol and the later long term design process for the Lincoln Memorial which went through many sites and designs before the Bacon's design was realized.

The proposed Memorial for President Eisenhower is far too important to rush the completion of its design, especially one as flawed as the design submitted by Frank Gehry.

L'Enfant's plan has been degraded over time, especially in the South West quadrant of the City. This opportunity to re-invest in the bed rock plan for the city should not be lost to a flippant anti-urbanist like Gehry. The history of our nation and the integrity of our nation's capital is just too important.

For these reasons, I humbly request that you say "No" to this ill-conceived plan.

Last one received on March 19, 2013

Sincerely,

Eric Inman Daum, AIA Andover, Masschusetts

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Mon 2/27/2012 8:50 AM [email protected]

I am writing to second the Eisenhower family’s request that the NCPC should reject the presently proposed design for an Eisenhower Memorial. The design is faddish and ephemeral, and does not appropriately honor President Eisenhower.

Sincerely, Tom Hyer Pound Ridge, NY

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Wed 2/29/2012 12:35 PM [email protected]

I hope there is reconsideration of the Frank Gehry plan for the Eisenhower Memorial. I believe that there are some serious flaws in the design and there should be a National competition for the design.

Thanks, Guy

Guy R. Giersch, Historic Preservation Officer 221 N. Tennessee St. McKinney, TX 75069 972.547.7416 [email protected] www.mckinneytexas.org

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Wed 2/29/2012 4:34 PM [email protected]

Dear National Capital Planning Commission,

I am a resident of Falls Church where I live with my wife and 17 year old daughter. My wife and I have lived in this area since 1977 when we moved here from Columbus, Ohio. I particularly have always been in love with this city, i.e. Washington, DC. It is a beautiful city for many reasons. It is filled with architectural treasures far and wide. I feel truly fortunate every time I get an opportunity to drive into the city.

On the Gehry design for Dwight Eisenhower I find that it in no way commemorates the kind of praise and admiration that we hold for the man. I find no connection between the design and the person the design attempts to remind us of or tell us about. I hope and strongly hope you will work to find an appropriate and measurable construct that we can dedicate to the man we want to honor.

Please do your best, Last one received on March 19, 2013

sincerely,

Doug Gudenkauf Falls Church, Va

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Saturday, March 03, 2012 8:52 AM [email protected]

I want to add my voice to those protesting the proposed Eisenhower Memorial. I think it is just awful!

We don't need a memorial to the architect!

Get rid of this monstrosity and start over.

Norman Melchert 9800 Fort King Road Henrico, VA 23229

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3/4/2012 12:47 PM [email protected]

Marcel C. Acosta Executive Director

If ever there was a time for a "do-over" it is now. This Frank Gehry design has no connection to President Eisenhower. It is merely a monument to Gehry himself. A monument to post modernism.

Monuments are made of granite for a reason. Its strength and durability evokes the enduring qualities of the man being honored. A plaza of trees, which die and need replacing, would just become one more space for scoundrels to occupy.

The stainless steel screen will look like big screen doors, only lacking giant flies trying to enter the farmhouse kitchen. THIS is what you have planned for the man who saved Western Civilization? This is what is planned to honor our 34th president? Better to have no monument at all and have him honored in the hearts of Americans who are aware of his greatness.

Betty Perkowski 106 Hangman Hill Rd North Stonington CT 06359

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Mon 3/5/2012 11:46 AM [email protected]

Dear Commissioners:

Please "just say no" and keep edgy artistry "off Broadway" and definitely off the Mall and its environs. Such monuments are meant to be expressions of the nation's memory of the man, and not an architects expression of "look at me---aren't I the clever one."

Last one received on March 19, 2013

Thank you.

Derek Simmons [email protected]

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Monday 3/5/2012 10:18 PM [email protected]

I just had an opportunity to see model and dwgs of the proposed monument. I have to say it is really inappropriate for this amazing American. This design does nothing to commemorate his greatest accomplishments. this was a wasted effort by those that commissioned this wrongheaded concept and those that developed it. I have been a practicing architect for over 35 years and I know something about the art and business of architecture. This design must be rejected and a new design commissioned that has an appreciation for the great and interesting man and the country for whom he provided such brilliant service.

Ward D'Elia AIA Holderness NH

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Thursday, March 15, 2012 4:28 PM mailto:[email protected]

William D. Haslam P.O. Box 446 169 Flat Top Lake Road Ghent, WV 25843 (304) 787-9846 Cell (304) 237-1078 Fax (304) 787-4011 [email protected]

March 15, 2012 Commissioners of the National Capital Planning Commission National Capital Planning Commission 401 9th Street, NW Suite 500 Washington, DC

Dear Commissioners:

In the February 29, 2012 issue of the Daily Sun, a publication from The Villages in Florida, it was said that your commission was requested to rethink the design of the monument honoring Dwight D. Eisenhower.

If the final design has not been finalized, may I suggest a memorial which combines two images that I acquaint with President Eisenhower? One is the five, five pointed stars arranged in a circle and the other is the .

I would suggest that each star would also be shaped in a pillar and that each of the 10 sides of the five pillars depict his life such as:

1) His birth in Texas, his boyhood in Kansas and his life at West point Last one received on March 19, 2013

2) His life during World War I, his War College experience, his life in Washington prior to World War II 3) His World War II years 4) His Presidential years when the ended and when the Eisenhower Interstate Highway system was started 5) His private life as a husband, father, golfer and a fisherman

In the center of the five stars would be a statue of “Ike” in his Eisenhower jacket.

To set President Eisenhower apart from others of the World War II era who also had the rank of five stars, I would suggest that his memorial be capped with a sixth star much as the Jefferson Memorial is caped with a dome similar to the one at Monticello.

Thank you in advance for considering this proposal.

Sincerely yours, William D. Haslam WDH/wdh

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March 21, 2012 7:26 AM [email protected]

I’ve just read the Washington Post article regarding the proposed memorial and controversy. It’s the first time I have actually seen the actual proposal and IT IS AWFUL!!.

No offense to Mr. Gerhy and the Commission, but the proposal is waaaay over-the-top and excessive.

No disrespect is intended towards Mr. Gerhy or General Eisenhower, who is certainly one of the towering figures of 20th century America. He definitely needs to be recognized, but that recognition can be achieved without massive pillars and tableaus.

Susan Eisenhower’s concerns may be a little misplaced, as the memorial should not be simply reflection of her memories of her grandfather, but still...... it should also convey our sense of pride while being respectful of the general as well.

It’s a little ironic that this massive memorial is planned for President Eisenhower while his boss, Franklin Roosevelt, has a significantly smaller memorial. Perhaps that’s the key. Smaller may be better. Something less gargantuan with smaller bas reliefs portraying events from the general’s life and presidency.

I would also hope that the memorial could include two of President Eisenhower's most famous quotations:

- Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron.

From a speech before the American Society of Newspaper Editors, April 16, 1953 - In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.

Farewell address, January 17, 1961. Last one received on March 19, 2013

I sincerely hope this memorial can be given a serious second look to keep it both respectful but at a scale that does justice to DDE without overpowering this section of the Mall.

James Bottoms

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Tuesday, March 27, 2012 1:13 PM [email protected]

Members of the National Capital Planning Commission:

I believe the Commission should not proceed with the Gehry design for this very important memorial. It is utterly contrary to the architectural and artistic traditions of Washington DC. It would be an embarrassment to the nation and a financial boondoggle. Gehry, in word and deed, has shown himself to be oblivious to these traditions. To make as his conceptual thrust the depiction of Eisenhower as a "barefoot boy" is utterly absurd and makes a mockery of the greatness of the man.

Please stop and consider all alternative proposals. There is no rush.

Frank W. Riepe, AIA Building Arts 54 Newbridge Rd. Sudbury, MA 01776 978-443-4775

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Tuesday, March 27, 2012 7:10 PM [email protected]

Whoa folks! aren't things moving along a little too quickly on this massive Gehry project? You guys ought to slow down a little and avoid making yourselves look foolish. Judging from what I've heard about this monument makes me think it would be an overwhelming mistake.

Doug Story 5034 Delaware Turnpike, Rensselaerville, NY 1214

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Tue 3/27/2012 4:05 PM [email protected]

Howard M. Blackson III, CNU-A Urban Designer 2425 29th Street San Diego, California, 92104 T 619.955.2559 [email protected] http://placemakers.com/

March 26, 2012 Last one received on March 19, 2013

Chairman Preston Bryant National Capital Planning Commission 1401 9th St. NW Washington, D.C. 20004

Dear Mr. Chairman Bryan: RE: Proposed Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial

As a member of the General Services Administration (GSA) Design Excellence Peer Review Committee, I wish to share my professional design opinion that Frank Gehry’s proposal, as presented to your National Parks, Forests and Public Lands Oversight Subcommittee Hearing on March 20th, is irrelevant to the point of disrespectful in its attempt to memorialize President Eisenhower.

Being 2012, our nation’s architectural culture is finally unshackled from the 20th-century’s ‘Starchitect’ conceit. We are again able to design freely with tradition, context, urbanism, sustainability and pragmatism. These 21st-century values should be expressed through our memorials and civic buildings as these places are complex and deftly built to balance both memory and expectation. It is my opinion that Mr. Gehry’s latest-modernist-paradigm-aboveall- else plan intends to add metaphorical complexity to an already complex place, reducing the visitor's experience to one of confusion.

The Eisenhower Memorial Commission and Frank Gehry’s mixed-metaphor project intentionally lacks the expected dignity in remembrance of President Eisenhower. Upon review, the plan actually appears to be a memorial to the latest modernist fad, Landscape Urbanism. The contradicting landscape metaphors imposed on a visitor include: a roofless memorial; a park within a park; the rural Kansas barefoot boy- warrior; a rural landscape ‘tapestry’ set in contrast to our nation’s urban, civic core context, and; a naturalistic landscape grown in ‘modern’ ruins that do in fact ‘ruin’ L’Enfant’s planned axis from the Capital to the Jefferson Memorial along Maryland Avenue.

Because of these many conflicting, faddish metaphors, Mr. Gehry's irrelevant design proposal challenges the very essence of a national memorial in Washington DC, which again has nothing to do with the memory of President Eisenhower. Simply imagining a Frank Gehry building makes it easy to understand his limitations as an architect to craft a civic building that has, according the GSA guiding principles for Federal Architecture, “design qualities which reflect the regional architectural traditions of that part of the National in which buildings are located.”

Fortunately, the critique surrounding this project is indicative of the declining status of contemporary ‘Starchitecture’ in our national discourse. The backlash towards Mr. Gehry’s project failure points towards a maturity within our nation’s architectural cultural as we collectively demand a more responsible approach for how we build great civic places in the 21st century. We will once again build dignified memorials that fit within the context of our honorable National Mall.

In light of this failed GSA Design Excellence project process, I recommend your Subcommittee also consider the design alternatives and open design process presented by the National Civic Art Society and Institute for Classical Architecture Mid-Atlantic Chapter.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely yours, Howard M.

Howard M. Blackson III, CNU-A Director of Planning PlaceMakers

Last one received on March 19, 2013 www.PlaceMakers.com www.PlaceShakers.com www.SmartCodeComplete.com [email protected] 619.955.2559 direct

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Tue 3/27/2012 2:52 PM [email protected]

Greetings,

As an architect, I just say no to the Gehry Eisenhower design.

Ernie Robeson

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Wednesday, April 18, 2012 4:05 PM [email protected]

Dear sirs:

I respectfully request the projected timeline for NCPC approval of the design for the Eisenhower Memorial.

Will NCPC act on recommendation of only the Eisenhower Memorial Commission? Since the EMC has endorsed the Frank Gehry team and their concept when will NCPC render a decision based on EMC endorsement?

If the EMC’s recommendation must be acted on by other committees/commissions prior to NCPC review, who will give the final recommendation/approval prior to NCPC’s review and recommendation?

If NCPC cannot provide a “roadmap” that shows the route to approval for the Eisenhower Memorial would you point me in the right direction?

We thank NCPC for your ongoing effort to see that DC development is approached in a manner that will best serve the long-term needs of the Nation’s Capital.

Sincerely,

Scott S. Dornbirer Glen Burnie, Maryland 443-506-1469

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Thu 5/17/2012 10:09 AM [email protected]

The Eisenhower Monument

In choosing a monument, we have to consider the spirit of the person that is being honored as well as respect the site and its surroundings. The outstanding monuments in Washington, DC, where monuments Last one received on March 19, 2013 are integral in the city plan, are the waves of white tombstones in Arlington Cemetery, the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the Vietnam Wall and the Korean Memorial. Each contains an essence that is simple, yet crucial to imparting a visceral feeling for those who have served us.

But I don’t see how steel tapestries, or bulwarks, or depictions of Eisenhower's boyhood accomplish this. Would we have Lincoln splitting rails! What is it that could make this work? During World War II, I saw the newsreels that brought the relief and exhilaration of success in defeating our enemies.

The pictures in my mind are of the rubble, and what it must have been like for General Eisenhower to command soldiers through this mire and then return to lead this country, still democratic and free. Instead of the planned cold steel of enclosing walls whose materials recall the instruments of war, I would choose materials of stone. Gravel and rock on swelling ground better expresses distances walked by our soldiers, rubble, Normandy dunes, and even with a little imagination, the Eisenhower farm. Some life-size bronze statues that lead us through a grove of trees to a quiet place might assist in the contemplation of the magnitude of Eisenhower’s accomplishments.

The most significant quality needed in this monument is the experience of freedom. We do not need to hear the sound of his speeches that are available on the internet. Too often, the new media approach tells us what we should think. Instead, Eisenhower is better embodied in a space that offers the public the peace and dignity of silent discovery and the freedom of thought.

Lucy J. Blankstein Washington, DC

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Friday, May 25, 2012 10:29 AM [email protected]

Please say NO to move ahead on this tasteless project. Its design is unfitting for such an orderly and decisive man.

I urge you to allow a reopening of the design contest, perhaps even to let the people decide in a referendum. If those options are not available please slow the process down so a more thoughtful and appropriate evaluation may be made. It should be well noted how strongly the Eisenhower family is opposed to this design. Their voice should count for something. Who knew him better?

Many generations will thank you for taking your time and reconsidering this important design decision.

Corey Strange architect and artist

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Maria Meredith 800 4th St, SW, N507 Washington, DC 20024 Maria Meredith [email protected]

Mr. Marcel Acosta NCPC 401 9th St, NW North Lobby, Suite 500 Washington, DC 20004

Last one received on March 19, 2013

August 28, 2012

Dear Mr. Acosta:

On behalf of its gardeners and the multitude of people from around the world who visit the garden every day, we are writing to ask you to consider the value of the community garden located on Independence Avenue and 6th Street, SW, as you design the planned Eisenhower Memorial. We would like to propose that instead of completely destroying the garden, you find a way to incorporate it into your design plans.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower had a family garden at his home in Kansas when he was a child. The garden provided 90% of the family’s food. Today, his family has expressed that the proposed Memorial’s previous designs have not succeeded in highlighting his accomplishments as the President. Knowing how important gardening was to the former president and his family, and how important it is to remember his accomplishments as the leader of our country, it seems contradictory to uproot and remove a garden to honor him. Instead of completely destroying the garden, we ask that you preserve it and include it as part of the design so you can represent the whole man. Since most Americans and international visitors aren’t able to travel to Kansas to witness the replica of the garden at the Presidential Library and Museum, this unique, one-of-a-kind memorial design would give tourists an innovative way to learn about President Eisenhower.

For decades, the Independence Avenue Community Garden has provided a number of important public services to residents of Washington DC and has been a distinctive landmark for visitors to the city. 1. For over 30 years, this garden has been a part of the landscape in the Southwest quadrant of Washington DC. In the midst of Washington’s tourist region and government buildings, this community garden has used a small plot of land to provide over 40 individual plots to a rotating number of gardeners growing local produce. The garden emphasizes the relevance of Washington’s local residents who live in a city most well-known for its commuter culture. It also promotes an awareness of the city’s local history above and beyond the achievements of its renowned national leaders. As such, it is a unique part of the city’s history and urban design that should be preserved. 2. Part of a thriving, modern, world-class city is having a balance of buildings and green space. This garden provides for that kind of harmony. The people who have grown the various flowers, fruits, and vegetables in the garden today have contributed to preserving the environment by reducing the city’s carbon footprint and waste, and were the forerunners of the ever-expanding interest in community gardening and green space preservation in Washington DC. It also is a very economical way to save money on food. The economy is still in a delicate state and grocery items, specifically fresh, organic vegetables, comprise a large part of a person’s budget. The garden was also one of the first plots available to Washington gardeners, changing the perception of city life in Washington, DC for the better. 3. Americans increasingly understand the value of community gardens, even as many gardens around Washington are disappearing due to the rapid development of the city. Like most other community gardens in the city, the Independence Avenue Community Garden continues to have a long waiting list of applicants. At this time, there is a severe shortage of community garden plots for city residents. With the planned demolition of two church-owned gardens in Southwest when construction starts on pre- approved redevelopment projects, this shortage will considerably grow in the region. Closing yet another community garden in Southwest will reduce the number of gardens in the quadrant to close to zero and frustrate local residents who have used this garden for months, years, even decades. 4. Having a garden plot on Independence Avenue has made its gardeners unofficial ambassadors of our nation’s capital. Throughout each day, people from around the country and world approach gardeners to inquire about the garden and its purpose. They are surprised and delighted to learn that its gardeners are “regular,” local residents. Visitors often express that they cannot believe such a garden exists in the nation’s capital. Gardeners often spend 30 minutes or more talking with these visitors about gardening tips, places to visit in DC, and many other topics. A great example of this was when a gentleman from Voice of America started a conversation with some gardeners. He was so thrilled to see people gardening in the city, he filmed them on the spot so he could do a news piece and share it with his countrymen in Cambodia. He said they would be excited to know that Washingtonians farm just like Cambodians do back home. It was a great intercultural bonding moment and a wonderful experience to be a part of! Last one received on March 19, 2013

5. The space also serves as a reprieve from the hustle and bustle daily of life. Employees from the nearby government buildings and other offices walk through the garden during their lunch breaks to “get away” from the city, tourists have picnics on the grounds, and people simply enjoy taking a stroll through the garden to explore what is growing in the various plots. First Lady Michelle Obama, who has made it her primary legacy to promote education around nutrition and local food production, has said, “I'm a big believer in community gardens, both because of their beauty and for their access to providing fresh fruits and vegetables to so many communities across this nation and the world.” As Mrs. Obama continues to harvest most of the First Family’s produce from her own garden on the South Lawn, it would be ironic to destroy one the city’s most visible, outward facing community gardens for a memorial honoring a former president. The message this sends is that Washington, DC is only concerned about remembering its history in the traditional sense, rather than taking cues from our current national leaders to design the city in a healthy, creative way. We understand the space will be used as a memorial representing a valuable part of our nation’s history. We believe this dynamic, creative design proposal would combine the existing urban landscape with a historic memorial in an unprecedented manner in Washington, promoting the preservation of local culture, environmental conservation, sustainable food production, and historical awareness, to be seen by people from all over the world. What an honor it would be for your design team and our nation’s capital!

We humbly request that our plea to preserve the Independence Avenue garden and incorporate it into the design of the Eisenhower Memorial be heard and be honored. Should our request be granted, we would appreciate the opportunity to propose certain ideas to ensure a respectful and dignified space.

Sincerely,

Maria Meredith SW, DC (gardener) Angela Butcher SW, DC (gardener) Vicentee and Yukari Ferguson SW, DC (gardeners) Sona Karia SW, DC (gardener) Andresa and Michael Hart SE, DC (gardener) Nancy Masterson SW, DC (gardener) Camille Cook SW, DC (gardener) Michelle Selvans NW, DC (gardener) Meaghan McFadden NW, DC (gardener) Kamilla Kovacs SW, DC (gardener) Helen Rader SW, DC (gardener) Michael Bunnell NW, DC (gardener) Sonja Graves NW, DC (gardener) Simon Mastrangelo Rome, Italy Anthony Alexander Manassas, VA Asoli Powers Atlanta, GA Layla Sabet NW, DC John Stralowski SE, Capitol Hill, DC Alex Teitel Oakland, CA Liz Ross Arlington, VA Morris Klein SW,DC (gardner) Whitney Meagher Capitol Hill, SE Ivey Samake Louisville, KY Webster Meredith Amelia, OH Shirley Meredith Amelia, OH Alicia Handy SW, DC Geneva Walker NW DC Nazaneen Grant NW, DC Pouya Ehsani NW, DC Barry Creech Arlington, VA Last one received on March 19, 2013

Jennifer Vargas NW, DC Sonja Mali Atlanta, GA Liz Clary Chicago, former NW, DC Andra Grant Arlington, VA Allen Tarquino Arlington, VA Katherine Kripe NW, DC Reed Walker NW, DC Ruth Foreman NW, DC Emily Strunk NW,DC Kathleen Holmlund Ireland Zitta Rezvani Arlington, VA Lana Kashuba SE, DC Alan Epstein Indy, IN Chaumette Garcia Alexandria, VA Fariba Parmer Dallas, TX Veronica Orbea Alexandria, VA Bahie Hamilton McLean, VA, Tunisa Lisa Creighton NW, DC Mary Beth Kochman Arlington, VA Jakir Hossain Baltimore, MD Gabrielle Westbrook NE, DC Jim Early Vineyard Haven, MA Carol Early Vineyard Haven, MA Alison Ewing NW, DC Faith Holmes NW, DC Noora Arfaa NW, DC Navid Ahdieh Arlington, VA Barbara Bond SE, DC Richard Bond SE, DC Aeric Meredith-Goujon Brooklyn, NY Claudine Meredith-Goujon Brooklyn, NY Sean Gallagher NW, DC Shahram Ahmadzadegan SE, DC Shamim Ahmadzadegan Shanghi, China Marija Fine Washington, DC David Ronald Watts Silver Spring, MD Robert Mitchell, M.D. San Francisco, CA Dace Mitchell, M.D. San Francisco, CA Annie Mitchell San Francisco, CA Donald Fortin Vacaville, Ca Elizabeth Fortin Vacaville, CA Patricia Bennett Washington, DC Linda Cook Potomac, MD Sarah Winfield University Park, MD Corey Tucker University Park, MD Monica Williams Washington,DC Mildred Tsarte Washington,DC Alba Moreno Silver Spring, MD Sheila Butler Washington, DC Linda Dunyan Washington, DC Robert Carrell Washington, DC Irene Forsman Washington, DC Joan Gibbons Oak Park, IL Mark Herlong Alexandria, VA Barbara Ehrlich SW, DC Last one received on March 19, 2013

David Ehrlich SW, DC Chris Beck SW, DC Bob Craycraft SW, DC G Katja Deonarati SW, DC Jennie Karalewich SW, DC Pamela Wilson SW, DC Priscila Fossu SW, DC Michelle Regan SW, DC Aaron Regan SW, DC Thelma Jones SW, DC Jennifer Young SW, DC Kathleen O'Neill SW, DC Pat Archer-Jacob SW, DC Heather Danskin SW, DC Monica Evans SW, DC Sylvia Cabus SW, DC Kim SW, DC Meg Brinckman SW, DC Isa Williams SW, DC Laura (child) SW, DC Boby (child) SW, DC Anne DeBiasi SW, DC Jason Gerser SW, DC Ron McBee SW, DC Lori O'rea SW, DC Brettan Kraker Falls Church, VA - Employee at NASA Chana Black NW, DC - Employee near the garden

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Tuesday, September 25, 2012 [email protected]

To Whom It May Concern,

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE reconsider the design of the Eisenhower memorial. Washington, D.C. is a place of reverence and should be the crown jewel for our country. The Frank Gehry design is atrocious. How one manages to spend $120 million on a few large granite rocks is beyond my grasp. The memorial he has designed gives no provenance to President Eisenhower and hardly even addresses the idea that the memorial is honoring one of the great American statesmen and generals. When World War II veterans go to the WWII memorial, it is a place of significance. If they were to come to the proposed monument they would be left wondering "Why this?" If the family of President Eisenhower disproves of the proposal, don't you think that is evidence enough that the monument is inappropriate? I know Frank Gehry is, deservedly or undeservedly, a celebrity in the architectural world at this point in time, I can guarantee that in the future his designs will be evidence of 21t century excesses and lack of vision. We need a design that speaks to the glory of the city of Washington, D.C., and that speaks to the honor of the office of president. We can build a better monument, the National Civic Art Society has already run a contest for better, TIMELESS, designs. In these designs the symbolism is clear, they tell the story of who Eisenhower was and what distinguishes him from other presidents. Here is a link to their design contest winners if you have yet to view them, http://www.civicart.org/eisenhowerawards.html . As an American taxpayer, the idea of my tax dollars being wasted on a monument that is significant only because of its "celebrity" designer is infuriating. Drive through any city in America, when one passes the "modern" or "futuristic" buildings that were constructed in the 1970s and 1980s one only sees a cold, uninviting, and sad structure. When one passes buildings built with classicism in mind they feel warm, inviting, and their permanence and timelessness is unquestionable. Please, I am begging you, for posterity's sake, do not build Frank Gehry's monument to nothing. Build a Last one received on March 19, 2013

monument that honors Eisenhower! He would not have cared who the designer is, and a bad designer with a famous name does not make that person's designs good. Frank Gehry is a bad designer. We can do better.

Thank you for your consideration, Brad Richmond

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Wed 10/10/2012 4:14 AM [email protected]

Dear Sir or Madam:

Thank you for keeping me apprised of the status of the Eisenhower Memorial. I believe that the new statuary is more appropriate for President and General Eisenhower, and commend the committee for making that change.

However, in reviewing the quotes selected for the memorial, my belief is that they do not truly capture the spirit of the man and meaning of his stirring words.

Here are two suggested changes:

Order of The Day June 6, 1944:

Current Proposed: "The Tide Has Turned, The Free Men of The World Are Marching Towards Victory."

For Your Consideration: "Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force, you are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, towards which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty loving people everywhere march with you."

Let us beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking. Order of The Day, June 6, 1944"

Explanation: General Eisenhower's stirring words in his D-Day message are more appropriately captured with the longer quote that places in context the enormity of Operation Overlord. The larger quotes put the appropriate emphasis on Eisenhower's belief that the fate of the whole world and of Western Civilization depended on success in the . The original proposed quote did not convey that totality.

Eisenhower as President:

Suggested Addition: "There is nothing wrong with America that the faith, love of freedom, intelligence and energy of her citizens cannot cure. "

Explanation: Hailing from the heartland of Kansas, Eisenhower's decency abided through eight strong years as President. This quote most accurately respects his enduring legacy more so than even the quotes attributed to him concerning peace in his time. This quote is eternal and enduring, not just speak, but inspiring for today and tomorrow's American people.

I believe that both of the above referenced quotations would be more appropriate to knowing and honoring the true man and leader and submit them for your consideration.

Very Truly Yours,

Jim Trakas 6924 Brettin Drive Last one received on March 19, 2013

Independence, Ohio 44131 216-524-2114

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Friday, October 19, 2012 8:23 AM [email protected]

Having read the article on the planned Dwight Eisenhower Memorial in the Boston Globe, I couldn't agree more with Robert Campbell.

This planned 4 acre site is way over the top. It insults any visitors by trying to put too much into it and it is way too big. Who wants to walk around 4 football fields?

President Eisenhower was not a flamboyant man. He came across as humble, sincere and patriotic. I think he would be repelled by this display.

The memorial needs a quiet place for thinking. This is way too busy. The most courageous time in Eisenhower's life was when he lead the invasion during World War II. This should be it's focus. We know about his life. Don't take us back to his birth.

This is about Frank Gehry, not Ike.

Sincerely,

Vivian Dickson

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Saturday, November 17, 2012 6:50 AM Jim Bottoms [mailto:[email protected]]

Thank you very much for forwarding this information to me. I have been watching the proceedings from a distance and note that further actions will not take place until 2013 at the earliest.

My basic observation remains: Less is more. The scale of the existing proposal appears to be more of a monument to Frank Gerhy than a memorial to Dwight Eisenhower. A simple public space with a green lawn, a statue of President Eisenhower as an adult and a few stele with some of his most memorable quotes or achievements would be more in keeping with his personality than a bunch of overwhelming tableaus reminiscent of Oberammergau.

The sheer size, scale and cost of the proposed memorial is insane, esp. when compared with what has been provided to his boss, President Roosevelt.

I do not believe President Eisenhower would want such a grandiose memorial, especially in these difficult economic times for millions of Americans.

Jim Bottoms

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Tue 3/19/2013 9:35 AM JKinhan

Committee Members: Last one received on March 19, 2013

I am opposed to the scale and cost of the proposed Eisenhower Memorial. It appears tacky and overblown as well as out of scale with the Mall. The rush to build more memorials is beginning to detract from the spaciousness of the Mall and at this pace we will be weaving around and dodging so many statues and memorials that we will lose sense of the grandeur and thoughtfulness of the Mall.

I am appalled that $62 million has been spent on this trashy project to date, and that another $2 million annual expense incurred to fund staffing. Please pull the plug on this project and consider, if you must, something more modest and enduring.

John Kinhan - Topsfield, Massachusetts Town Moderator (Emeritus) Veteran, US Army, 8th Army Hdqtrs, Seoul, ROK