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 nations 34th president. Although the family welcomed substantial changes unveiled by architect Frank Gehry this month, including the addition of heroic-scaled statuary to the memorials core, it remains adamantly opposed to the fundamental architectural idea: large metal tapestries depicting scenes of the nations 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 Eisenhowers 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 familys 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 Gehrys interpretation of Eisenhowers 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 familys continued opposition to what is the most distinctive and essential element of Gehrys design, a spokeswoman for the commission welcomed the statement as progress toward resolving the familys concerns. By narrowing the range of its criticism, which in the past has included references to Mao, Stalin and Hitlers 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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