A regional planning group Thursday directed the architect of the proposed Vietnam Veterans Memorial Visitor Center to further tweak the design to minimize its effect on the surrounding landscape.
The National Capital Planning Commission voted unanimously to move the long-planned underground project, now called The Education Center at The Wall, closer to its final design. The National Park Service and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund were told to make three additional revisions to the facility, slated for a 5.2-acre parcel bounded by Constitution Avenue, Henry Bacon Drive and 23rd Street.
The changes made so far “show significant improvement,” said Commissioner Peter May, representing the Interior Department. “We’re eager to move ahead.”
“As you know, this has proven to be an incredibly complex design challenge,” project architect Thomas Whalen told the commission. “We feel all our moves have been consistent with your guidelines.”
The 31,250-square-foot center is expected to feature a selection of the more than 100,000 items left at the Vietnam Memorial over the years, and a wall of photographs of fallen soldiers.
The facility has faced strong opposition from preservationists who contend it will further crowd the National Mall, and disrupt the vistas to and from the Lincoln Memorial.
Design renderings indicate the entrance to the center will be raised eight feet higher than the surrounding mall space. From the top of the Lincoln Memorial, parts of the center above ground will be visible to the left.
The commission suggested omitting skylights, eliminating a proposed walkway from Constitution Avenue and reducing the size of an open-air courtyard to minimize its visibility from the Lincoln Memorial. Whalen generally agreed but said he was reluctant to reduce the size of the courtyard because it provided “an emotional respite” for visitors.
Judy Feldman, chairwoman of the National Coalition to Save Our Mall and an opponent of the center, asked the commission to re-evaluate the entire project. “The center would create a major gash at the site,” she said. “This is a good opportunity to step back and consider.”
The $80 million project will be funded entirely with private donations, including $10 million from Time Warner.
