Superstar architect Frank Gehry unveiled his designs for the future Eisenhower Memorial in Washington, D.C. on Thursday.
The memorial, the seventh such structure to be dedicated to a president in U.S. history, is destined for a four-acre site between 4th and 6th Streets SW, south of Independence Ave. The designs must still be approved by a number of federal agencies, and the $100 million it will take to build it still needs to be raised. But the tentative date for completion is 2015.
The selected design concept includes a series of 80-foot-tall columns and large woven stainless steel tapestries that depict images and themes of Eisenhower’s life, all around a central grove of oak trees.
“The approach to the design was to create a cohesive and important civic space and urban monument in the heart of the capital region that provides a quiet and contemplative space for learning about the vast accomplishments of President Eisenhower,” Gehry said. “He was a masterful but modest leader. My aim was to capture that spirit with the design.”