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An architectural model of the proposed Eisenhower memorial.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower's family wants to halt the planning of a memorial honoring the 34th president because they object to the design.
The family says architect Frank Gehry's concept overemphasizes "Ike's" humble Kansas roots and neglects to show his many accomplishments during World War II and his time at the White House.
Gehry has proposed large metal tapestries with images of Eisenhower's boyhood home in Abilene, Kan., and a statue of a young Eisenhower seeming to marvel at what would become of his life.
On Tuesday, the family asked the National Capital Planning Commission in a letter to delay the memorial until their concerns are met. The letter was obtained by The Associated Press.
Last month the family spoke to the Washington Post about the design concerns.
Read the original article on NBCWashington.com
"We have some serious concerns about the design," Eisenhower's 59-year-old granddaughter Susan told the Post. "I don't think my grandfather would be comfortable with the scale and scope of this design."
The memorial would be located on a four-acre parcel of land on Independence Avenue between Fourth and Sixth Streets, Southwest, across from the National Air and Space Museum. Gehry's design, which can be viewed at the Eisenhower Memorial Commission's website, is framed by 80-foot woven steel tapestries that would show winter images of Eisenhower's native Kansas and be attached to steel columns measuring 11 feet in diameter.
The park itself would feature a statue of Eisenhower as a young boy looking toward bas-reliefs modeled after famous photographs of the former supreme commander of the allied forces in Europe during World War II. Gehry has stated that the idea for the statue of the boy Eisenhower comes from a 1945 homecoming speech that the general gave in his hometown of Abilene, Kansas, in which he referred to "the dreams of a barefoot boy."
The National Capital Planning Commission is currently scheduled to hold a hearing for preliminary approval of Gehry's design in February.
NBCNewsWashington.com and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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I object to building any kind of memorial when the country is in the depths of a recession/depression. Until our country's finances are back in order, they need to stop any unnecessary spending and building. It's nothing against the former President--I think he would agree that is not the time to be expending a fortune for something that will not contribute to recovery.
The public will remember him for his outstanding achievements as a President, Statesman and a General, not for his childhood dreams. Every child has dreams but very few make significant contributions to their country as did Eisenhower. If his childhood is of interest it is only because of who he became as an adult.
It should be a simple, large stone monolith, with the his phrase, "Beware the Military - Industrial Complex."
Before another memorial is built in DC, we should remove anyone from the commission that was remotely responsible for the pile of marble and Las Vegas fountain that makes up the World War II memorial. Not to mention the miss-quotes, the new MLK Jr. memorial contains a statue of Dr. King that looks more like Chairman Mao with a mustache. The Gehry design shows imagination and inventiveness, thus it probably will never be constructed. The National Planning Commission never approves any design unless it looks like everything else.
I do not think we need another gargantuan memorial to another average president on the mall in Washington DC! This memorial would mask an entire building, for pete's sake! Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln were among the top tier of American Presidents, and their monuments are well deserved, and well placed. Maybe a smaller monument to Eisenhauer would be acceptable, but not something that huge!
As far as it not being appropriate to build a memorial when so many are without work, well, maybe this will put some of them to work! The money will be raised privately, I am sure, so it is not like we are spending taxpayers dollars for it.