Frank Gehry via Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission

By DCist contributor Julia Langley

The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) met once again to discuss architect Frank Gehry’s design for the Dwight D. Eisenhower memorial this week. Last July, the CFA voted to approve the general concept of Gehry’s design. This week’s meeting, which began with a discussion of proposed landscaping elements, quickly turned to the two most controversial aspects of Gehry’s design – the metal tapestries which define the memorial precinct and the freestanding columns which support the tapestries.

Commissioners expressed concerns about the size of the two side tapestries and the columns that support them, as well as the selection of landscape materials in the proposed memorial site. The construction and durability of the tapestries appear to be sources of apprehension. John Bowers, a partner in Gehry’s architecture firm reiterated to the commission that materials testing goes on and a report will be prepared for presentation in 2014. A letter detailing the commission’s concerns will be sent to Frank Gehry and Partners. No further action will be taken until the CFA meets again in the new year.

Gehry’s design for the Eisenhower memorial, which will be located just south of the National Mall and across the street from the National Air and Space museum, features architectural elements, freestanding sculpture, relief sculpture and inscriptions set inside a park. A monumental colonnade supporting metal tapestries that depict images of the Kansas landscape in which Eisenhower grew up defines the four-acre site.