Frank Gehry's updated design for a new Dwight D. Eisenhower memorial in Washington, D.C., has been approved by the Eisenhower Memorial Commission, reports the Washington Post.
The commission voted unanimously to approve the $110 million project, which has been gestating for 14 years and has been the subject of a fair amount of controversy, including vocal objections by some members of the Eisenhower family. The memorial will be built across the street from the National Air and Space Museum, a few blocks from the U.S. Capitol.
To win the commission's approval, Gehry tweaked the design of statues depicting Eisenhower as a young man, a World War II general, and president. A bas relief that had been removed from the design was restored, and excerpts from Eisenhower's celebrated Guildhall Address—delivered in the wake of the allied victory in Europe—will also be included.General P.X. Kelley, who chairs the commission's advisory board and who helped oversee development of the Korean and WWII memorials, called the updated design "spectacular."
Gehry offered prepared remarks before the commission, saying he has "spent the last four years immersed in Eisenhower's words, and the words of those who have shaped how history will define him." The architect said that new imagery, including the D-Day landing at Normandy and Eisenhower signing the Civil Rights Act of 1957, was added in part to respond to concerns by family members and other critics.
Related Stories
| Jan 3, 2014
World’s tallest vegetated façade to sprout in Sri Lanka [slideshow]
Set to open in late 2015, the 46-story Clearpoint Residences condo tower will feature planted terraces circling the entire structure.
| Dec 31, 2013
Top 10 blog posts from 2013
BD+C editors and our contributors posted hundreds of blogs in 2013. Here's a recap of the most popular topics. They include valuable lessons from one of the first BIM-related lawsuits and sage advice from AEC legend Arthur Gensler.
| Dec 31, 2013
BD+C's top 10 stories of 2013
The world's tallest twisting tower and the rise of augmented reality technology in construction were among the 10 most popular articles posted on Building Design+Construction's website, BDCnetwork.com.
| Dec 30, 2013
Calatrava facing legal action from his home town over crumbling cultural complex
Officials with the city of Valencia, Spain, are blaming Santiago Calatrava for the rapid deterioration of buildings within its City of Arts and Sciences complex.
| Dec 30, 2013
Survey: Number of licensed architects grows in 2012-13
A survey by NCARB shows that there are 105,847 registered architects in the U.S., up slightly from the organization's 2011-2012 survey.
| Dec 29, 2013
7 ways to make your firm more efficient
In a CEO.com post, Andrew Miller, president of ACM Consulting, shares the seven organizational efficiency strategies he encounters most frequently as he works with corporate executives to boost their performance.
| Dec 24, 2013
First Look: Calatrava's Sharq Crossing in Doha, Qatar [video]
The government of Qatar has released details of Sharq Crossing, a massive infrastructure project designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.
| Dec 23, 2013
MBI commends start of module setting at B2, world's tallest modular building
The first modules have been set at B2 residential tower at Atlantic Yards in New York, set to become the tallest modular building in the world.
| Dec 23, 2013
First Look: KPF's dual-tower design for Ziraat Bank in Istanbul
Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) is designing a new headquarters for Turkey’s largest and oldest financial institution, Ziraat Bank, in a modern, suburban district of Istanbul.
| Dec 20, 2013
Must see for the holidays: Architects re-create iconic structures using gingerbread
Gensler, PBK, Page Sutherland Page, and Kirksey were among the firms to compete in the 5th Annual Gingerbread Build-Off.