The proposed Eisenhower Memorial, as designed by Frank Gehry.

It was two years ago this week that Frank Gehry unveiled his design for the Eisenhower Memorial, but his proposal for 80-foot-high metal tapestries framing the site and the way he’s portrayed the 34th president remain a flashpoint for criticism. Gehry can now count on the support of one prominent group, though: the commission that hired him to design the memorial in the first place.

After Congress piled on the criticism in a hearing last week, yesterday the Eisenhower Memorial Commission released a statement in which it backed the famed architect’s vision for the site:

Frank Gehry has followed the direction provided to him by this commission. He has also consulted with the Eisenhower Family. His design for the Memorial is exciting, creative, and inspiring. It captures the life and the spirit-and commemorates the historic achievements—of Dwight Eisenhower as one of the greatest generals in human history and one of our finest presidents.

We are fortunate that the most celebrated architect in the world competed for this project. Frank Gehry has been a loyal soldier in our effort. We confirm our selection of him, confirm our enthusiastic endorsement of his design concept, and express our regret and sadness at the tone and nature of the selected comments that have been made on Mr. Gehry’s design for the memorial.

The commission’s statement certainly ups the ante for Eisenhower’s family—who have said they hate the design—and members of Congress that have hoped for some sort of consensus moving forward. At the hearing last week, Gehry said in a letter that he would be open to changes to the design, though.

In an op-ed in The New York Times last week, architect Witold Rybczynski came to Gehry’s defense, writing that members of the commission—which had included a member of the Eisenhower family—had approved the design. More importantly, he wrote, the memorial should not be the subject to the whims and tastes of a larger group of people.

“But in this case, too many cooks will definitely spoil the broth. Compromise and consensus are important when devising legislation, but they are a poor recipe for creating a memorial.”