The construction of a memorial to honor former President Dwight D. Eisenhower has officially begun. Organizers have set May 8, 2020, as the deadline goal.
Dwight D. Eisenhower, the man who was an officer in World War I and the sitting president during World War II, will after long last be honored by a memorial being built near the National Mall. The Eisenhower Memorial will be bordered by Maryland Avenue, 4th Street, and the Lyndon Johnson Department of Education building. On November 2, a groundbreaking ceremony took place on the land (now called Eisenhower Square) featuring several family members, congressmen, and commission members, as well as the U.S. Marine Band Brass Quartet and West Point service members. [caption id="attachment_5467" align="aligncenter" width="818"]
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Prior to the groundbreaking ceremony, the memorial had faced several setbacks as organizers and the Eisenhower family clashed over the plans. Designing architect Frank Gehry had drawn up plans that placed more emphasis on Eisenhower’s Kansas childhood, and that didn’t bode well with the former President’s family. Several commission members resigned from the project, and Gehry himself nearly pulled out as well. However, Gehry’s revised plans gained the approval of the Eisenhower family, and now the $150 million project is underway.
Though it had been originally hoped that the memorial would be completed by June 2019 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of D-day, now organizers are shooting for the 75th anniversary of VE day on May 8, 2020.
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Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower is most famously known as the president whose invasion plans were successfully executed by the military on June 6, 1944, on the beaches of Normandy, France. The D-day invasion was one of the bloodiest battles in history and a key part of putting an end to Adolph Hitler’s Nazi regime. The Eisenhower Memorial, once complete, will serve as a reflection of the service and sacrifice of World War II vets and the many who lost their lives on D-day and subsequent battles as well as a tourist attraction which is expected to draw thousands of visitors yearly.
Within the four-acre lot will be numerous bronze statues of the 34th president which will depict his role as president and supreme commander of Allied forces in World War II. A transparent tapestry will frame the Eisenhower Square and will feature a stainless steel cable image.
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