When the grandchildren of Dwight D. Eisenhower approved a compromise design last week, it seemed likely that Frank Gehry’s memorial to the 34th president would finally get built—perhaps even in time for the 75th anniversary of D-Day, on June 6, 2019.
In a deal brokered by James Baker, Secretary of State under President George H.W. Bush, and an advisor to the memorial commission, Susan Eisenhower and her three siblings agreed to retain the centerpiece of the memorial, to which they had once objected: a 440-foot wide stainless steel tapestry. But it will now feature a representation of the D-Day landing sites in Normandy, France, as they appear today, instead of the plains of Eisenhower’s native Kansas. The memorial will also, somewhat paradoxically, emphasize Ike’s Kansas roots, prominently displaying his words “The proudest thing I can claim is that I am from Abilene.” But where that quote will go hasn’t been decided yet. “That’s part of Mr. Gehry’s assignment,” said Chris Cimko, the spokesperson for the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission.
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