The design for the long-delayed Eisenhower Memorial by famed architect Frank Gehry received final approval from a Washington planning commission on Thursday, though disputes over costs may keep the $142 million work from ever being built.
Planned for years for a spot just off the National Mall, a short walk from the U.S. Capitol, the memorial has been plagued by delays and cost overruns. Congress has cut off construction funds for the project for three years in a row.
The National Capital Planning Commission passed the design by a 10-1 vote on Thursday.
"We think it's good urban design. It's good for the entire Southwest neighborhood," said Mina Wright, a commission member representing the General Services Administration's Office of Planning and Design Quality, who voted in favor of the design.
Despite the vote, funding for the project remains uncertain and faces deep congressional skepticism. Congress has already spent at least $65 million on the memorial. A report by the House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee last year described it as a "Five-Star Folly".
The design includes a pair of 80-foot (24-meter) columns and a 447-foot (136-meter) steel mesh tapestry depicting the Kansas plains where the 34th U.S. president and World War Two Allied commander grew up. It is expected to take up 4 acres (1.62 hectares).
Gehry's use of tapestries instead of traditional statuary has drawn the most criticism, especially from Congress and the Eisenhower family. The design approved by the panel scrapped two of the original steel tapestries but kept two supporting columns.
"Congress doesn't want this design. The public doesn't want this design," said Justin Shubow, president of the National Civic Art Society, an outspoken critic of the memorial project.
Congress authorized the memorial in 1999 and set a completion date of 2007.
Gehry, 86, is perhaps best known for the dramatic Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain.
(Reporting by Lacey Johnson; Editing by Edward McAllister and Eric Walsh)
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Feb 1, 2023
2022 Cultural Facilities Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. cultural facilities sector
Populous, DLR Group, KPFF, Arup, and Turner Construction head BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest cultural facilities sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2022 Giants 400 Report. Building types include museums, public libraries, performing arts centers, and concert venues.
Libraries | Jan 13, 2023
One of the world’s largest new libraries opens in Shanghai
Designed by Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects, Shanghai Library East covers more than 1.2 million sf, 80% of it dedicated to community activity.
Performing Arts Centers | Dec 23, 2022
Diller Scofidio + Renfro's renovation of Dallas theater to be ‘faithful reinterpretation’ of Frank Lloyd Wright design
Diller Scofidio + Renfro recently presented plans to restore the Kalita Humphreys Theater at the Dallas Theater Center (DTC) in Dallas. Originally designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, this theater is the only freestanding theater in Wright’s body of work.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Dec 15, 2022
Community centers reinforce a town or city’s sense of place
The intersection of a community with its natural surroundings is one key to a successful design of community centers, according to a new 24-page paper titled “Creating a Wellness Culture,” about the benefits of this building type, cowritten by HMC Architects’ Civic Practice Leader Kyle Peterson, and Director of Design James Krueger, who used three of their firm’s recent projects to buttress their thesis.
Museums | Oct 25, 2022
Seattle Aquarium’s new Ocean Pavilion emphasizes human connection to oceans
Seattle Aquarium’s new Ocean Pavilion, currently under construction, features several exhibits that examine the human connection with the Earth’s oceans.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2022
Top 90 Construction Management Firms for 2022
CBRE, Alfa Tech, Jacobs, and Hill International head the rankings of the nation's largest construction management (as agent) and program/project management firms for nonresidential and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2022
Top 200 Contractors for 2022
Turner Construction, STO Building Group, Whiting-Turner, and DPR Construction top the ranking of the nation's largest general contractors, CM at risk firms, and design-builders for nonresidential buildings and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2022
Top 45 Engineering Architecture Firms for 2022
Jacobs, AECOM, WSP, and Burns & McDonnell top the rankings of the nation's largest engineering architecture (EA) firms for nonresidential buildings and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2022
Top 80 Engineering Firms for 2022
Kimley-Horn, Tetra Tech, Langan, and NV5 head the rankings of the nation's largest engineering firms for nonresidential buildings and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 21, 2022
Top 110 Architecture/Engineering Firms for 2022
Stantec, HDR, HOK, and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill top the rankings of the nation's largest architecture engineering (AE) firms for nonresidential and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
