The Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission (EMC), a congressionally chartered commission in Washington, DC, seeks lead designers and associated firms to submit portfolios for designing the National Eisenhower Memorial.

The announcement, available on the Federal Business Opportunities website [www.fedbizopps.gov], offers a distinct and unparalleled opportunity to design a permanent addition to the urban and cultural landscape of the Nation’s Capital.  Design services will be procured through the US General Services Administration’s (GSA) Design Excellence Program.  EMC’s Pre-Design Program, available upon request of the GSA Contracting Officer, establishes the primary goals for the memorial to honor Eisenhower’s leadership and vision and to celebrate his legacy.

Only the seventh national presidential memorial in Washington, DC, the Eisenhower Memorial will be the first national presidential memorial for the 21st Century.  EMC seeks to create a unique and engaging landscaped plaza type memorial, with an integral sheltering element to welcome visitors throughout the year and interpretive elements to bring the Eisenhower legacy to life. 

Innovative design concepts should portray Eisenhower holistically – from his Kansas roots and heartland values, to his presidential commitment to international cooperation; from his career as a soldier and his victories in war, to his unrelenting efforts for peace with justice.  The memorial must inspire, inform, and educate its visitors, providing reflections on the past and optimism for the future.  Dwight D. Eisenhower’s lifetime of service – especially as 34th President of the United States, and Supreme Allied Commander in Europe during World War II – deserve to be honored that they may inspire future generations to serve humanity with courage and integrity.

A fully approved site in a unique and prominent location has been secured for the Eisenhower Memorial.  By authority of the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts, and with concurrence from the US National Park Service, and the US Congress, the Eisenhower Memorial will be located on a four-acre site at the intersection of Maryland and Independence Avenues, SW.  Located in the heart of the city’s federal government and cultural center, the site lies across the street from The National Mall between the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum, the most visited museum in Washington, and the US Department of Education headquarters. 

The site already provides a distinctive character for the memorial.  It will be the first national presidential memorial created in a truly urban context.  The other national presidential memorials are located in pastoral or waterfront settings.  The Eisenhower Memorial will also function as a civic square – a new L’Enfant Square – and focal point at the base of Capitol Hill.  Along Maryland Avenue, the site boasts a commanding vista of the US Capitol and the sloping grounds of the Capitol Hill complex. 

Now spare and austere, this site offers a remarkable opportunity to create a strong, iconic visual expression honoring one of the most influential leaders of the 20th Century.  Given its unique accessibility to other major tourist attractions and government office buildings, this memorial must achieve a visual quality and substance befitting its pivotal location in the city’s monumental core and its preeminent subject.  The memorial must connect intellectually and emotionally with visitors young and old.