Photo courtesy the Eisenhower Memorial Commission.

It’s never a good idea to design anything by committee, much less should the nation’s memorials be left to members of Congress. Regardless, a proposed design for a memorial to President Dwight D. Eisenhower that has attracted widespread criticism will be the topic of a congressional hearing later this month.

The Examiner is reporting that the U.S. House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands will hold a hearing on the Eisenhower Memorial on March 20, and members of the Eisenhower family, noted architect and memorial designer Frank Gehry, the National Park Service, the National Capital Planning Commission, and the Eisenhower Memorial Commission will be on hand to testify.

The hearing will touch upon Gehry’s design, which has been roundly criticized by the Eisenhower family as not adequately representing the legacy of the 34th president. Critics have also taken aim at the 80-foot-tall woven tapestries that will frame the memorial, which will be located in front of the Department of Education on Independence Avenue SW. (Still, as the City Paper noted yesterday, not everyone is down on the design.)

The memorial design should have been approved this month, but that won’t likely be happening while Congress looks into the matter.