Dive Brief:
- The General Services Administration has put out feelers to smaller area contractors to determine their interest in building a Washington, DC, memorial to former U.S. army general and 34th President of the United States Dwight D. Eisenhower, according to the Washington Business Journal
- The GSA has limited requested input to those contractors with a maximum yearly revenue of $36.5 million and has included woman-owned, minority, veteran, service-disabled and otherwise disadvantaged contractors in its information-gathering process. This move has been widely interpreted as a way for the GSA to keep construction costs as low as possible.
- Architect Frank Gehry designed the $142 million plaza memorial, and construction costs are expected to reach between $80 million and $90 million — an estimate that excludes the expense of bronze sculptures.
Dive Insight:
The design has been given the green light from the National Capital Planning Commission, but it still lacks the money necessary to fund the entire project. Congress did not include memorial construction in its appropriations bill last year, so the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission will continue their efforts to raise another $25 million.
Despite the cash crunch, the commission plans to complete the project in time for a dedication on June 6, 2019, the 75th anniversary of D-day, the World War II Normandy landings, a legendary military initiative planned and led by Eisenhower. The memorial design features scenes from Eisnhower's life via a series of metal tapestries and statues.
A memorial to another iconic American political figure, Robert F. Kennedy, could also be in the works in a different DC site. The Washington, DC, convention and sports authority Events DC revealed preliminary plans this month to revamp the RFK Stadium site with $500 million of public athletic fields and facilities, and its proposal also includes a new memorial to the former attorney general and senator.