Art News

President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s family ask to delay Washington, DC memorial

WASHINGTON (AP).- President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s family wants a memorial in the nation’s capital redesigned, saying the current plans overemphasize his humble Kansas roots and neglect his accomplishments in World War II and the White House. Architect Frank Gehry has proposed a memorial park framed by large metal tapestries with images of Eisenhower’s boyhood home in Abilene, Kan. In the park, a statue of “Ike” as a boy would seem to marvel at what would become of his life, leading the Allied forces, integrating schools and the military, and creating NASA and interstate highways. Smaller sculptures would depict Eisenhower as general and president. Gehry’s idea echoed Eisenhower’s speech when he returned to Kansas and spoke of a “barefoot boy” who achieved fame in Europe. He came