| Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial | |
|---|---|
 The memorial in December 2020 | |
   | |
| Location | District of Columbia, U.S. |
| Nearest city | Washington, D.C. |
| Coordinates | 38°53′14″N 77°01′08″W / 38.887182°N 77.018771°W |
| Established | September 17, 2020 |
| Visitors | 760,603 (in 2022)[1] |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
| Website | Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial |
The Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial is a United States presidential memorial in Washington, D.C. honoring Dwight David Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe during World War II and the 34th President of the United States.
Located to the south of the National Mall, the national memorial is set in a park-like plaza, with large columns framing a mesh tapestry depicting the site of the Normandy landings, and sculptures and bas-reliefs arrayed in the park. Architect Frank Gehry designed the memorial and Sergey Eylanbekov sculpted the bronze statues of Eisenhower in various settings. The memorial's tapestry artist was Tomas Osinski, and the inscription artist, Nicholas Waite Benson.
On October 25, 1999, the United States Congress created the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission, and charged it with creating "...an appropriate permanent memorial to Dwight D. Eisenhower...to perpetuate his memory and his contributions to the United States." Originally designed as a "roofless" temple outlined by large columns, and mesh tapestry "walls", the preliminary design proved controversial. After several years of hearings and several design changes by Gehry, including reducing the number of columns and tapestries, final design approvals were given in 2017, and the groundbreaking ceremony was held at the 4-acre (1.6 ha) site on November 3 of that year, which was attended by dignitaries.[2][3] The dedication ceremony was initially scheduled for May 8, 2020, the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day,[4] but was postponed to September 17, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5][6]
- ^ "Annual Park Ranking Report for Recreation Visits in: 2022". National Park Service. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- ^ Bowley, Graham (November 2, 2017). "Is It Possible That the Eisenhower Memorial Will Finally Get Built?". The New York Times.
- ^ Madsen, Deane. "Frank Gehry's Eisenhower Memorial Breaks Ground in DC". Architectural Record. BNP Media. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
- ^ Cimko, Chris Kelley (November 2, 2017). "Ground is Broken on Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial" (PDF). Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission.
- ^ Horan, Tim (May 8, 2020). "Eisenhower Memorial in D.C. is complete. Coronavirus delays dedication to September". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- ^ "Dedication Of Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial" (PDF). Eisenhower Memorial Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 22, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.