A federal panel voiced support for an innovative memorial design commemorating President Eisenhower amid concerns the structure would overshadow the neighboring U.S. Department of Education building. The concept design, as presented to the National Capital Planning Commission on Thursday, features nearly 80-foot-tall translucent panels that act as a border to the roughly 3-acre memorial site at the intersection of Maryland and Independence avenues. The panels would act as outdoor “tapestries,” suspended by large columns and hung high enough to allow visitors to walk beneath. The stainless steel panels could depict black-and-white etchings ranging from a portrait of Eisenhower to landscapes reminiscent of his boyhood home in Kansas. Two 100-foot-wide panels would face Independence Avenue, providing an anchor on both sides of the memorial, which would be landscaped with trees and grass. A longer panel would stretch across the back of the memorial, obscuring much of the Department of Eduction building.
Eric Waldo, deputy chief of staff for the secretary of education, testified the agency was concerned about the memorial’s placement.
