HISTORY62 - The Other Presidential Memorials in Washington D.C.

In my last blog I wrote about the history of Washington D.C. memorials to three U.S. presidents:  George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln. There are four other presidents honored in our nation’s capital:  Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Dwight David Eisenhower, and Lyndon Baines Johnson, and this blog will cover the history of the Washington D.C. memorials to these presidents.

From left: Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Dwight David Eisenhower, and Lyndon Baines Johnson.

  

I will cover the four presidential memorials in the order of each president’s service.  After a short overall introduction, I will begin each memorial section with a short biography of the particular president, then present a short introduction to the memorial, followed by appropriate historical detail.

My principal resources include: “Theodore Roosevelt Island,” “Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial,” “Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial,” and “Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove on the Potomac,” Wikipedia; “Sense of Wilderness: New Perspectives on Theodore Roosevelt Island,” nps.gov; “Theodore Roosevelt Island National Memorial,” tclf.org; “Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial,” nps.gov; “The Public Struggle to Erect the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial,” John G. Parsons, jstor.org; “’For ‘Ike,’ A Monument Unlike Any Other:  Eisenhower Memorial Is Dedicated in D.C.,” npr.org; “Check out Frank Gehry’s Eisenhower Memorial before it opens this fall,” archpaper.com; “Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove on the Potomac,” nps.gov; plus numerous other online sources.

Introduction

The four presidential memorials that I will be discussing here are vastly different from the memorials to Washington, Lincoln, and Jefferson.  First of all, they are not imposing architectural monuments like their predecessor presidential monuments.  Secondly, they are newer, dedicated between 1967 and 2000, much later than the memorials I discussed in the earlier blog.  A third difference is the location of the newer memorials: off the National Mall, and in some cases, far removed from it.  Another difference, a personal one:  I have never visited any of these four memorials.

The map of Washington D.C. below shows the location of the subject four memorials:  Theodore Roosevelt Island, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial Park, the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial, and the Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove on the Potomac, and the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial. 

Map of Washington D. C., with the locations of the four subject presidential memorials highlighted with blue stars.

  

Theodore Roosevelt Island is shown (and identified) at the upper left.  Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park is shown at the left-center of the map.  The Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove on the Potomac is located at lower left.  The Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial is located at right-center of the map.  Further details on the location of these memorials are included below.

Theodore Roosevelt Island

Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 - January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy, or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26^th president of the United States from 1901 to 1909.  He previously served as the 25^th vice president under President William McKinley and as the 33^rd governor of New York.  Having assumed the presidency after McKinley's assassination, Roosevelt emerged as a leader of the Republican Party and became a driving force for anti-trust and Progressive policies, and for conservation of natural resources.

Introduction.  Theodore Roosevelt Island - previously known as My Lord's Island, Barbadoes Island, Mason's Island, Analostan Island, and Anacostine Island - is an 88.5-acre national memorial located in the Potomac River, just north of the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Bridge.  Dedicated in 1967, the memorial is maintained by the National Park Service, as a natural park, and wildlife sanctuary, as a living memorial to Roosevelt’s leadership in land and resource conservation.  Today, miles of trails through wooded uplands and swampy bottomlands honor the legacy of a great outdoorsman and conservationist.  No cars or bicycles are permitted on the island, which is reached by a footbridge from Arlington, Virginia, on the western bank of the Potomac.

Densely-forested Theodore Roosevelt Island, looking south along the Potomac River, with the Washington Monument visible in upper- left.

 

Early History.  Theodore Roosevelt Island was first occupied by Europeans in 1668, and remained in private hands for almost 200 years, owned by several different families who conducted farming on the island.

Between 1792 and 1833, John Mason, the son of Revolutionary George Mason IV, built a mansion on the island, and cleared trees for the fields and gardens of a formal plantation.

The Mason mansion on Theodore Roosevelt Island in the 19^th century.

 

During the Civil War, in 1863, the military established Camp Greene on the island to train newly-freed black troops for service in Union Army.  Camp Greene was disbanded in the summer of 1865.

After the war, the island shifted from a place where people lived and farmed, to a place where they played, offering boating, hiking, camping, bicycling, and sports. until 1891, when a fire burned down the island’s clubhouse.

During the Spanish-American War in 1898, the then-abandoned island was used to test explosives.

From 1913 to 1931, the Washington Gas Light Company owned the island, and allowed vegetation to grow unchecked.

Memorial History.  In 1931, the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Association purchased the island from the gas company with the intention of donating it to the National Park Service and erecting a memorial honoring Theodore Roosevelt.  At that time, the island was described by an observer as a garden fallen into ruin.

Congress authorized the memorial on May 21, 1932, but did not appropriate funds for the memorial for almost three decades.

Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., a landscape architect known for his wildlife conservation efforts, as well as designs for the National Mall and other areas in the National Capital area, developed a plan for the island.  By 1935, the Civilian Conservation Corps had cleared much of the island and pulled down the remaining walls of the Anderson house; today, only part of the mansion's foundation remains.

Funds were finally designated by Congress in 1960, and the memorial was dedicated on October 27, 1967 as Theodore Roosevelt Island.  Total cost to construct the memorial was $1.4 million.

Designed by Eric Gugler, the memorial includes a 17-foot statue of Roosevelt by sculptor {Paul Manship, four large stone monoliths with some of Roosevelt's more famous quotations, and two large fountains. Today’s forest is less than a century old.

 

The plaza of the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial, with a statue of the president at center left.

As with all historic areas administered by the National Park Service, the national memorial is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882 - April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32^nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945.  As a member of the Democratic Party, he won a record four presidential elections and became a central figure in world events during the first half of the 20^th century.  Roosevelt directed the federal government during most of the Great Depression, implementing his New Deal domestic agenda in response to the worst economic crisis in U.S. history.  As a dominant leader of his party, he built the New Deal Coalition, which defined modern liberalism in the United States throughout the middle third of the 20^th century. His third and fourth terms were dominated by World War II, which ended shortly after he died in office.

Introduction.  The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial is dedicated to the memory of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and to the era he represented.  Dedicated on May 2, 1997, the national memorial is spread over 7.5 acres adjacent to the southwest side of the Tidal Basin, along the Cherry Tree Walk in West Potomac Park.  The memorial traces 12 years of the history of the United States through a sequence of four outdoor rooms, one for each of FDR's terms of office.  Sculptures depict Roosevelt alongside his dog Fala, and scenes from the Great Depression, such as listening to a fireside chat on the radio, and waiting in a bread line.  A bronze statue of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt standing before the United Nations emblem honors her dedication to the UN. 

The FDR Memorial, looking southeast along the southern bank of the Tidal Basin, among blooming cherry trees.  Note the Jefferson Memorial at top left.

 

Design and Features.  Congress established the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial Commission in 1955.  The Commission then worked through a laborious public process to complete the memorial.  After two decades of failed attempts, the Commission joined with the National Park Service who assisted with the design and construction of the memorial.

Landscape architect, designer and teacher Lawrence Halprin won a competition for the memorial's design in 1974.  By 1978, Halprin’s design concept was approved by the various federal agencies.  After an additional delay of 13 years, due to lack the funding, groundbreaking occurred in 1991, and the memorial was dedicated in 1997.

The memorial’s four open-air rooms represent each of the four terms of office to which the longest-serving-president was elected and depict the major issues he dealt with, including the Great Depression, the New Deal, and World War II. 

Walls of red South Dakota granite define the memorial’s outdoor rooms and the meandering passageways connecting them.  Waterfalls, quiet pools of water, and Roosevelt’s own words, beautifully incised into the granite walls by master carver John Benson, create a mood of quiet reflection.

Running water is an important physical and metaphoric component of the memorial.  Each of the four "rooms" representing Roosevelt's respective terms in office contains a waterfall.   As one moves from room to room, the waterfalls become larger and more complex, reflecting the increasing complexity of a presidency marked by the vast upheavals of economic depression and world war.

The national memorial includes sculptures and works by Leonard Baskin, Neil Estern, Robert Graham, Tom Hardy, and George Segal.

As a historic area that the National Park Service manages, the memorial was administratively listed on the National Register of Historic Places on the date of its dedication and opening, May 2, 1997.  Total construction cost was $48 million.

When the memorial first opened, people were encouraged to wade into the fountains and waterfalls. However, within a matter of days, the National Park Service, fearing accidents, prohibited people from entering the water.

The original statue of Franklin Delano Roosevelt with his beloved dog Fala in Room 3 stirred controversy over the issue of his disability, suffered after a polio attack in 1921.  Designers decided against plans to have FDR shown in a wheelchair.  Instead, the statue depicted the president in a chair with a cloak obscuring the chair, showing him as he appeared to the public during his life.  Roosevelt's reliance on a wheelchair was not publicized during his life, as there was a stigma of weakness and instability associated with any disability. 

Sculpture depicting FDR with his dog Fala.  The inscription at center left is from FDR’s third term, during World War II.  Note the blanket covering FDR’s legs.

 

Spokespersons for the disabled protested, arguing that showing the truth of FDR’s paralysis, something that he himself rarely allowed, would increase awareness and set an inspiring example for others who struggled with disability.  Congress agreed.  Robert Graham created a second statue, of Roosevelt sitting in a wheelchair, much like he actually used.   On January 10, 2001, the Prologue Room was dedicated, complete with the new statue. The statue is life size, and depicts FDR seated in a wheelchair of his own design- a kitchen chair modified with tricycle wheels. 

Sculpture of FDR in wheelchair, added to his memorial in 2001.

 

Note:  The FDR memorial on the banks of the Tidal Basin was not the first memorial to FDR in Washington D.C.  FDR had told his friend Supreme Court Associate Justice Felix Frankfurter in 1941, that if he were to have a monument in Washington, it should be in front of the National Archives, and should be no larger than his desk.  A small group of living associates of the President, on April 12, 1965, the 20^th anniversary of his death, fulfilled his wish by providing and dedicating a modest memorial: a 3-foot tall, 7-foot long, 4-foot-wide block of white marble on the lawn in front of the National Archives Building.  The engraved words on the memorial state: "In Memory of Franklin Delano Roosevelt 1882–1945.”

Original Washington D.C. memorial to FDR - dedicated in 1965.

 

Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial

Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (October 14, 1890 - March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34^th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961.  During World War II, he served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe, and achieved the five-star rank of General of the Army.  He planned and supervised the invasion of North Africa in 1942-1943 and the invasion of Normandy (D-Day) in 1944-1945.  After the war, he served as Army Chief of Staff, as president of Columbia University, and as the first Supreme Commander of NATO.

In 1952, Eisenhower won the presidential race as a Republican, and governed as a moderate conservative.  His main goals in office were to contain the spread of communism and reduce federal deficits.  Eisenhower’s administration undertook the development and construction of the Interstate Highway System, which remains the largest construction of roadways in American history. In 1957, following the Soviet launch of Sputnik, Eisenhower lead the American response which included the creation of NASA and the establishment of a stronger, science-based education via the National Defense Education Act.  His two presidential terms saw unprecedented economic prosperity.

Introduction.  The Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial is located to the south of the National Mall, across Independence Avenue from the National Air and Space Museum, set in a park-like four-acre plaza.  Designed by architect Frank Gehry, the memorial features three life-size bronze statues of Eisenhower by sculptor Sergey Eylanbekov, one featuring General Eisenhower with troops from the 101^st Airborne the day before the invasion of Normandy, another sculpture depicting President Eisenhower in the White House surrounded by civilian and military advisors, and a third portraying “Little Ike” in his boyhood in Kansas.  Stone bas-relief images and inscription panels highlight passages from notable Eisenhower addresses and give context to the memorial's sculptures.  Framing the entire memorial is a first-of-its-kind woven stainless-steel tapestry, 60-foot-tall and 447 feet long, by artist Tomas Osinski, which depicts the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc on the Normandy coastline.  The memorial was dedicated on September 17, 2020, and is managed by the National Park Service.

 

The Eisenhower Memorial, with sculptures depicting General Eisenhower with troops before D-Day (right) and President Eisenhower in the White house surrounded by his advisors (left).

Design and Features.  In 1999, Congress established the Dwight D. Eisenhower Commission and authorized the Eisenhower Memorial, but years of “design tweaks large and small, political infighting, funding squabbles, familial objections, … and a call for the project to be scrapped altogether” slowed progress substantially.

Several Eisenhower family members initially expressed their desire for a "living memorial" - not a monument but rather a program, or think tank, or some other organization which would help to perpetuate the legacy and values of President Eisenhower.

By 2005, the Eisenhower family had accepted the Commission’s recommendation for a “physical” memorial.

On November 8, 2005, the National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission (NCPC) approved the Eisenhower Memorial Commission's request that the Eisenhower Memorial be located in a newly created, four-acre public park along Independence Avenue SW between 4th Street SW and 6th Street SW, across from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and near the U.S. Capitol.  The site is surrounded by several federal agencies that had roots in the Eisenhower administration, including the Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, NASA, and Voice of America.

In 2009, after a six-month review of 44 submissions, the Commission settled on a memorial design by Frank Gehry, the architect behind the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain.

The design featured three areas of Eisenhower statuary:  in his boyhood in Kansas, in his role as Supreme Allied Commander in World War II, and in his role as President of the U.S.  The three ensembles were to be framed by a unique woven stainless-steel tapestry depicting a Kansas landscape.

The design quickly stirred up controversy, with several members of Eisenhower’s family, raising vocal objections to the emphasis on Eisenhower’s boyhood and early life in Kansas, and the tapestry which they thought was garish and excessive.

The fight became so intense that architect Gehry hired a Washington lawyer, and Congress withheld funding for several years.   Eventually, former Secretary of State James A. Baker III brokered a compromise that won approval from the family. 

The new design refashioned the tapestry with a Gehry illustration of the Normandy landing site, instead of a Kansas landscape, and put the statue of the youthful Ike, now in shoes, off to the side with related text.

The Eisenhower Memorial at night, highlighting the unique woven stainless-steel tapestry of the Normandy coast.

 

 

Statue of Dwight Eisenhower as a boy in Kansas, contemplating his future.

On July 9, 2015, the NCPC approved the final design submissions for the Eisenhower Memorial.  The Eisenhower family announced their support for the memorial in September 2016.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held in November 2017.

The $150 million Eisenhower memorial and public green space was dedicated on September 17, 2020, and officially opened to the public the following day.  (The memorial was originally scheduled to be dedicated on May 8, the 75^th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day - but those plans were postponed due to the COVID-19 crisis.)

Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove on the Potomac

Lyndon Baines Johnson (August 27, 1908 - January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36^th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37^th vice president under President John F. Kennedy, and was sworn in as president shortly after Kennedy's assassination. A Democrat from Texas, Johnson also served as a U.S.  representative, U.S. senator, and the Senate's majority leader.  Johnson's domestic policy was aimed at expanding civil rights, public broadcasting, Medicare, Medicaid, aid to education, and the arts, urban and rural development, and public services. 

Introduction.  The Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove on the Potomac is located on the former Columbia Island, off the western bank of the Potomac River, south of the Arlington Memorial Bridge.  The grove consists of two parts. The first area, commemorative in nature, is a Texas-granite monolith surrounded by walks and trails.  The second area is a grass meadow and provides a tranquil refuge for reflection and rejuvenation of the spirit.  The trails are shaded by a grove of hundreds of white pine and dogwood trees, and framed by azaleas and rhododendron. The memorial overlooks the Potomac River with a vista of the city of Washington D.C.  The memorial was dedicated in 1976, and is administered by the National Park Service.  The park has two entrances, one off the George Washington Memorial Parkway and one on Boundary Channel Drive.  

Design and Features.  Shortly after Lyndon Johnson died in January 1973, some of his friends began to consider creating a national memorial to the 36^th president of the United States in Washington D.C.  They decided that a grove of trees, a “living memorial,” would be a fitting representation of a man who valued nature in his personal life. and supported environmental protection in his presidency. 

Planning for the grove began in Spring 1973.  Lady Bird Johnson Park was chosen as the site of the grove due to Johnson's love of the park and its panoramic views of Washington D.C. and its monuments on the National Mall.

Note:  Between 1964 and 1968, the National Park Service relandscaped Columbia Island (along the west bank of the Potomac River, lying between the George Washington Memorial Parkway and the Boundary Channel) extensively as part of a nationwide, urban-beautification campaign sponsored by then First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson.  Columbia Island was renamed Lady Bird Johnson Park by the United States Department of the Interior on November 12, 1968 in honor of her work on the beautification campaign.

The national memorial to LBJ was authorized by Congress on December 28, 1973, and administratively listed on the National Register of Historic Places the same day.

Meanwhile, the LBJ Grove Memorial Committee raised more than $2 million in donations from people all over the United States. 

Noted local landscape architect Meade Palmer worked closely with Mrs. Johnson to design the grove.  Plans for the grove were largely complete by May 1975, and construction began.  In December 1975, Congress authorized $1 million to complete the memorial grove and establish a maintenance fund.

The completed grove covers 15 acres, and was planted with white pine, dogwood trees, and flowering shrubs and bushes.

The memorial grove has two sections.  The more formal commemorative area focuses on the life, goals, and accomplishments of Lyndon B. Johnson.  A broad flagstone walkway spirals through a grove of white pines to the center of a flagstone plaza, where a 19-foot tall, 45-ton Sunset Red granite monolith, quarried in Johnson’s native Texas, was placed.  Stone carver Harold Vogel worked the exterior of the stone to give it a dynamic, rough-hewn look reminiscent of Johnson's personality.  Mrs. Johnson selected the four quotations inscribed at the base of the granite monolith.  They embody the President’s thoughts on the environment, education, civil rights, and the presidency.  

White pine trees surround the plaza on three sides.  The third side is open and looks out across the Potomac River toward Washington, DC.  Four simple benches at the edge of the plaza provide a place to contemplate the view of the Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson Memorials, the Washington Monument, and the Capitol across the Potomac.

The LBJ Memorial Grove, showing the Texas-granite monolith, with the Washington Monument visible to the right, in the distance to the northeast.

The more informal second area of the memorial grove focuses inward on the sweep of grass that constitutes the meadow.  Benches along the gravel walkway that winds around the meadow give visitors a chance to sit and relax, and there are picnic tables under the trees that frame the meadow. 

The memorial was dedicated on April 6, 1976 and is administered by the National Park Service.

A $500,000 footbridge between the memorial and a 30-car parking lot along the Boundary Channel was constructed to make it easier to visit the grove. The bridge was also designed by landscape architect Meade Palmer, and dedicated by Lady Bird Johnson on October 12, 1977.

 

This footbridge provides access to the LBJ Memorial Grove on the Potomac.

 

Visitors may listen to a recording made by Lady Bird Johnson at the entrance to the park, facing the Pentagon.  In the recording, the former First Lady talks about the creation of the park, the trees, and the views of major Washington D.C. landmarks.

 

Having already declared my intention to (re) visit the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Jefferson Memorial, I must enthusiastically add the memorials to Presidents T.R., FDR, Ike, and LBJ to my (first time) visit list.