Dwight D. Eisenhower National Memorial Design Approved

By Jerry Morelock, Ph.D.

On June 18, the design for the National Eisenhower Memorial (eisenhowermemorial.gov) received final approval from the United States Commission of Fine Arts (CFA), moving the project to honor the former President who in World War II had led Allied forces to victory in Europe another important step closer to becoming reality. U.S. Senator Pat Roberts, Chairman of the Eisenhower Memorial Commission (EMC), explained: “Today’s vote of final approval by the CFA helps to ensure a lasting and fitting tribute to President and General Dwight D. Eisenhower who 71 years ago this month made the D-Day decision that led us to victory in Europe. With a memorial to Ike, not only will the surviving 2 million U.S. troops under his command have the place to remember his service and valor, but so will generations to come. My grandkids today are too young to understand what Ike gave to them in the peace and freedom they enjoy. But with a permanent memorial, it’s my hope they will come to understand and appreciate what he meant to our country and to the entire world.”

The next milestone for the National Eisenhower Memorial will take place on July 9 when the memorial’s CFA-approved design will appear before the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) for final approval. Eisenhower Memorial Commission Vice Chairman, Congressman Mike Thompson, stated: “The EMC looks forward to appearing before the NCPC in two weeks where we hope to receive the second – and final – of our federal approvals. Many of the design edits that received CFA’s final approval today come from the EMC’s close work with the NCPC late last year…We look forward to taking a fully approved design forward to funding, construction and dedication.”

The National Eisenhower Memorial – Eisenhower Square – is designed as a four-acre urban park at the base of Capitol Hill. The design includes a memorial at the center of the square to recognize Eisenhower’s accomplishments as both President and Supreme Allied Commander. Ike as 34th U.S. President is commemorated in a bronze sculpture – flanking the President are abstract figures representative of civilian power and military power with Eisenhower symbolizing the delicate balance between them. Eisenhower as the Supreme Allied Commander during World War II is commemorated in a bronze sculpture inspired by the famous photograph of him with 101st Airborne Division paratroopers before their jump into France to spearhead the June 6, 1944 D-Day invasion.

AMERICAN HISTORY MAGAZINE SPECIAL ISSUE “How Eisenhower Shaped Our World”: Ike takes center stage in the August 2015 issue of HISTORYNET’s American History magazine in a special issue featuring articles on his life as a “Wartime leader, Peacetime visionary – the architect of victory in Europe who built peace, prosperity and equality at home.” Contributors to this issue published during this 125th anniversary year of Eisenhower’s birth include Carlo D’Este (author of Eisenhower: A Soldier’s Life), Evan Thomas (author of Ike’s Bluff: President Eisenhower’s Secret Battle to Save the World), David A. Nichols (author of A Matter of Justice: Eisenhower and the Beginning of the Civil Rights Revolution), Ike’s granddaughter Mary Jean Eisenhower (chief development officer of Outreach International and chairman emeritus of People to People) and Jerry D. Morelock (HISTORYNET Editor at Large). Read an article from this Ike Special Issue on historynet.com.

All images are taken from artist conceptions for the Eisenhower Memorial design. Click on link to learn more.