Second Division Memorial Modification
Constitution Ave NW & 17th St NW, Washington DC
Preliminary and Final Site Development Plans
United States Department of the Interior
1 NationalMarch 4, Capital 2021 | PlanningFile: 8120 Commission File: 8120 Project Summary
Commission Meeting Date: March 4, 2020
NCPC Review Authority: 40 U.S.C. § 8905
Applicant Request: Approval of Preliminary and Final Site Development Plans
Session: Consent
NCPC Review Officer: Matthew Flis
NCPC File Number: 8120 Project Summary: The National Park Service has submitted preliminary and final plans for modifications to the 2nd Division Memorial, which is located within the open lawn at the southwest corner of the Ellipse facing Constitution Ave NW. The Memorial was originally constructed in 1936 to honor those of the Second Army Division who gave their lives in World War I. The memorial consists of a monumental tripartite granite wall with a rectangular opening that frames the central focal element: the flaming sword, an eighteen-foot-high gilded bronze sculpture of a hand grasping a flaming sword designed by Fraser. An addition was completed in 1962. Two similarly inscribed granite wing walls on either side of the central panel to honor the men of the Second Division who died in World War II and the Korean War. In August 2018, Congress authorized the Foundation to place additional commemorative elements or engravings on the raised platform or stone work (Public Law 115–91, Section 352 as amended through P.L. 115-232). The modifications will further honor the members of the Second Infantry Division who have given their lives in service. The project also proposes appropriate accessibility upgrades to the memorial. The intention is to provide panels for the recognition of three known military campaigns with the opportunity to accommodate inscriptions for future campaigns. There is also a need for an expanded platform that can accommodate public ceremonies and encourage visitors to walk up onto the memorial to view the inscriptions.
2 National Capital Planning Commission File: 8120 Site Location
LocationLocation Map Map
3 National Capital Planning Commission File: 8120 Existing Conditions
4 National Capital Planning Commission File: 8120 Existing Conditions
5 National Capital Planning Commission File: 8120 Memorial History - 1936
6 National Capital Planning Commission File: 8120 Memorial History - 1962
7 National Capital Planning Commission File: 8120 Existing Memorial Elevation and Plan
8 National Capital Planning Commission File: 8120 Expansion Chronology
9 National Capital Planning Commission File: 8120 Proposed Design
10 National Capital Planning Commission File: 8120 Proposed Plinth Elevations with Text
11 National Capital Planning Commission File: 8120 Concept Review – Accessibility Approaches
12 National Capital Planning Commission File: 8120 Concept Review – Approach Design
Linear Approach Curvilinear Approach
13 National Capital Planning Commission File: 8120 Proposed Site Plan
14 National Capital Planning Commission File: 8120 Existing Sidewalks in Area
15 National Capital Planning Commission File: 8120 Proposed Walkway Details
16 National Capital Planning Commission File: 8120 Proposed Lighting Fixtures
17 National Capital Planning Commission File: 8120 Proposed Lighting Design
18 National Capital Planning Commission File: 8120 Proposed Design With Curvilinear Approach
19 National Capital Planning Commission File: 8120 Proposed Memorial
20 National Capital Planning Commission File: 8120