First Look at the New Eisenhower Memorial in Washington, D.C.

The idea for the Eisenhower was approved by Congress in 1999, and though the opening date for the Frank Gehry-designed memorial was delayed from May 2020, the public will finally get a chance to see newest memorial in D.C. this September.

2 minute read

August 7, 2020, 9:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower

A photo of the statue of Dwight D. Eisenhower in Oxon Hill, Maryland will have to suffice on this website for now. But the new Eisenhower Memorial in D.C. is scheduled to open on September 17. | Nicole Glass Photography / Shutterstock

Not everything about the new Eisenhower Memorial, designed by Frank Gehry, works, according to an architectural review by Philip Kennicott. "But at night, with the lights on, it is magical."

The Eisenhower Memorial is scheduled to open to the public on September 17, after a pandemic-induced delay from the original planned opening date of May 3, the original opening day falling on the 75th anniversary of the day Allied forces accepted Germany's surrender in World War II. 

"Yet with the exception of some trees that need to be replaced, the memorial is essentially finished, and although the public can’t wander through it now, it is easily seen through and above the surrounding fence," reports Kennicott. 

After catching the reader up on some of the setbacks during a design process undertaken in several iterations by Gehry, one of the most famous architects in the world, after the memorial was approved in 1999 during the Clinton administration, Kennicott turns the attention of the article of an assessment of the new memorial's design merits:

It is unlike any other memorial in Washington, or the world. The design was largely dictated by the awkward site, a four-acre patch of land just south of Independence Avenue, opposite the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. The south side of the square is occupied by the U.S. Education Department’s Lyndon Baines Johnson Building, an oblong modernist box with few lovable features. The site is also bisected by Maryland Avenue, which offers a particularly fine view of the U.S. Capitol, a view that preservationists and oversight groups felt had to be protected.

Gehry’s response to the site was deft and daring. He proposed a giant screen, dubbed a tapestry, along the south edge, effectively veiling the Education Department. The idea of a metal tapestry with a representational image on it was both a reference to an earlier memorial tradition — woven-cloth tapestries were used for centuries to glorify emperors, kings, the victors in battle — and a radical departure from the tradition of using solid stone as the essential medium for monuments. But the tapestry also allowed Gehry to create a parklike space in front of it, a little green oasis in a part of the city that is famous mainly for its dispiriting bureaucratic architecture.

The key notes of praise, however, are found in Kennicott's description of the memorial as experienced at night, where the scene becomes magical. And, yes, the source article has photos of the real thing.

Thursday, August 6, 2020 in The Washington Post

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Person wearing mask walking through temporary outdoor dining setup lined with bistro lights at dusk in New York City.

Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?

Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.

June 19, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Aerial view of new neifhborhood under construction with enpty lots in foreground.

In California Battle of Housing vs. Environment, Housing Just Won

A new state law significantly limits the power of CEQA, an environmental review law that served as a powerful tool for blocking new development.

July 2 - CALmatters

Low-rise Pearl Sreet mall in Boulfer, Colorado.

Boulder Eliminates Parking Minimums Citywide

Officials estimate the cost of building a single underground parking space at up to $100,000.

July 2 - Boulder Reporting Lab

Two-story buildings with porches in walkable Florida neighborhood.

Orange County, Florida Adopts Largest US “Sprawl Repair” Code

The ‘Orange Code’ seeks to rectify decades of sprawl-inducing, car-oriented development.

July 2 - CNU Public Square