Eisenhower family remains opposed to tapestries planned for memorial
Source: Washington Post
The grandchildren of Dwight David Eisenhower have given their official response to the latest iteration of a proposed memorial to the nation’s 34th president. Although the family welcomed substantial changes unveiled by architect Frank Gehry this month, including the addition of heroic-scaled statuary to the memorial’s core, it remains adamantly opposed to the fundamental architectural idea: large metal tapestries depicting scenes of the nation’s heartland.
“From our perspective, many of the changes that Gehry Partners made to the design concept are positive and welcomed,” said a letter posted Wednesday on Susan Eisenhower’s blog. “The scope and scale of the metal scrims, however, remain controversial and divisive. Not only are they the most expensive element of the Gehry design, they are also the most vulnerable to urban conditions, as well as wildlife incursions and ongoing, yet unpredictable, life-cycle costs.”
The family’s statement narrows the focus of its opposition to the memorial, planned for a four-acre site south of the Mall at Maryland and Independence avenues SW. In previous statements, and in a public hearing in March, the family not only opposed the metal scrims, but also blasted Gehry’s interpretation of Eisenhower’s legacy and criticized the Eisenhower Memorial Commission, which selected Gehry and unanimously supported his design, calling for “a top down review of its staff management practices.”
Despite the family’s continued opposition to what is the most distinctive and essential element of Gehry’s design, a spokeswoman for the commission welcomed the statement as progress toward resolving the family’s concerns. By narrowing the range of its criticism, which in the past has included references to Mao, Stalin and Hitler’s death camps, the family has made it easier for the commission to respond directly to specific concerns.
Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/eisenhower-family-remains-opposed-to-tapestries-planned-for-memorial/2012/05/30/gJQAb2gT2U_singlePage.html
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