The Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission is “confident” that groundbreaking for the Eisenhower Memorial will occur this fall, maybe as early as September, as reported by Roll Call.
“I don’t think there are any obstacles in front of us,” said Rep. Ken Calvert, the chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies.
While Calvert says this, Roll Call is quick to note that the project would require a significant commitment from Congress during a time when cuts have been proposed to federal funding for domestic programs. Currently, the project is at least $84 million short of the needed estimate of $150 million in federal money. Due to a special waiver from Congress, though, the Memorial Commission could proceed with the groundbreaking before all funding is in place.
In February 2017, the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) voted in approval of three design modifications made to the project. The design currently features an 80-foot-high, 447-foot-long stainless steel tapestry with a “peacetime image” of a Normandy, France beach as well as a statue of Dwight Eisenhower.
Despite the approval from the NCPC, there are still critiques on the design. Justin Shubow, president of the National Civic Art Society, described the project to Roll Call as “an atrocious, boondoggle design.”
Before construction can begin, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts and the NCPC will have to approve the final design.
• Massive Eisenhower Memorial Could Break Ground as Early as September [Roll Call]
• Fiscal Year 2017 Budget Justification [Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission]