Christine G.H. Franck's posterous

Christine G.H. Franck's posterous

Christine Franck  //  is a designer, author and educator with a practice focusing on custom residential design and decoration. A leader in education, she served as the first executive director of the ICAA and has taught at the University of Notre Dame and the Georgia Institute of Technology. Her published work includes the Winterthur's Traditional American Rooms, Jose M. Allegue: Legacy of a Builder, and the forthcoming ICAA's Handbook of Classical Architecture.

 
Mar 2 / 5:58am

What Can You Do About Gehry's Ike Memorial?

In early April, the National Capital Planning Commission will likely review Frank Gehry’s design for the Eisenhower Memorial to be built in Washington, D.C. Criticism after criticism has been leveled at the design, its urban impact, durability, and symbolism. There are few things we build of greater import than our civic memorials, for they record our history and values and transmit them to future generations. With this in mind, please review the information below and make your opinion known by writing to the following agencies.

Eisenhower_memorial_towers_in_

 

Chairman Preston Bryant

National Capital Planning Commission

401 9th St. NW

Washington, DC 20004

 

 

Chairman Earl A. Powell III

 U.S. Commission of Fine Arts

 401 F Street NW, Suite 312 

Washington, DC 20001-2728 

 

 

Chairman Rocco C. Siciliano

Eisenhower Memorial Commission

1629 K Street NW, Suite 801

Washington, DC 20006

 

 

Selected Articles reviewing Gehry’s design:

Léon Krier in Metropolis: Eisenhower Memorial, Washington, D.C.

 

George Will in Washington Post: Eisenhower Memorial misses the man

 

Roger Lewis in Washington Post: Gehry’s design for Eisenhower memorial misses the mark

 

Blair Kamin in Chicago Tribune: Driehaus and Krier do battle against Gehry's Eisenhower Memorial design

 

Pulitzer Prize Winner David Shribman in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Which Ike to like?

 

Paul Gunther in Huffington Post: Designing and Eisenhower Memorial on the Mall in D.C.

 

Clem Labine in Traditional Building: DC’s Stealth Monument

 

Phil Langdon in Better! Cities & Towns: Honoring Ike – and adding appropriately to the nation’s capital

 

Dhiru Thadani in Better! Cities & Towns: A misshapen memorial to President Eisenhower

 

Steel Tapestry Mock-up: Photos published by NCAS

 

Tom Bethel in American Spectator: A Monstrosity, Not a Monument

 

Stephen Walt in Foreign Policy Magazine: Who Likes Ike? Not Frank Gehry

 

Daily Caller: Eisenhower family objects to expensive, garish DC monument

 

Politico: Memorial design sparks monumental controversy

 

Susan Eisenhower in Washingtonian: A Q&A With Susan Eisenhower About the Fight Over Her Grandfather’s Memorial

 

Susan Eisenhower’s Blog: The Unpredictable Past

 

Susan Eisenhower’s Blog: Let’s Engage on the Real Issues with Ike’s Memorial

 

Susan Eisenhower’s Blog: The Eisenhower Memorial, Another Front in the Culture Wars

 

 

Public Letters of Protest:

Congressmen Dan Lungren and Aaron Schock Call for Rejecting Eisenhower Memorial Design

Congressman Frank Wolf Calls for Rejecting Gehry’s Eisenhower Memorial Design

Eisenhower Family Letter Against Gehry’s Memorial Design

 


 

Report on Gehry’s Design:

 NCAS Report on Gehry’s Eisenhower Memorial Design

 

 

Official Presentation of Gehry’s Design:

Eisenhower Memorial Commission

 

 

Alternative Designs:

Counter-proposal Competition by ICAA Mid-Atlantic Chapter and NCAS