On March 25, 2010, the Eisenhower Memorial Commission approved a design by renowned architect Frank Gehry and artist-collaborator Robert Wilson for a memorial to the 34th president, to be located across from the Air and Space Museum on Independence Avenue in Washington, D.C..
The memorial includes two massive stone bas reliefs honoring Eisenhower's leadership as a World War II general and as President, and an 80-foot tall tapestry of woven metal depicting the plains of the American Midwest.
Critics, including members of the late president's family, are raising objections to the design and question whether it appropriately commemorates President Eisenhower. Even the selection of architect Gehry has come under inquiry.
At the hearing critics objected to its giant scale, the material used and the depiction of the Cold War president and WWII general as a "barefoot boy from Kansas."
Eisenhower’s granddaughter, Susan Eisenhower, testified, calling for a redesign. She said her family is concerned about the memorial and stressed the importance of the context in which her grandfather is remembered,
A panel of people involved in the memorial’s planning also testified, including Brig. Gen. Carl W. Reddel, USAF (Ret.), who is the Executive Director of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission.
The planning has taken 11 years so far.
Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT) chaired this hearing of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands.