Excellent posts, and I agree.
A simple statue of Ike would be perfect. Imagine if Gehry, who is more interested in his own legacy than Ike's, had designed the Jefferson or Lincoln memorials? And isn't Gehry the idiot who nearly ruined the Corcoran?
This project is so "emotive" as to be entirely devoid of meaning -- which is what post-modernism is all about. All you need to know about it is what the ComPost "cultural critic" has to say (from
Wikipedia):
"Gehry has produced a design that inverts several of the sacred hierarchies of the classical memorial, emphasizing ideas of domesticity and interiority rather than masculine power and external display. He has 're-gendered' the vocabulary of memorialization, giving it new life and vitality."
[insert pukey-face emoticon here].
For an antidote see
"Monumental Egos" from American Spectator, as well as the protest site:
www.eisenhowermemorial.net/.
By contrast, the Grant memorial at the base of the Capitol appropriately celebrates the man and the men who served the nation with him. The project became a bit more than a simple statue and was controversial in its day, but not because its design represented the artist more than the subject. I like it, but the reflecting pool has isolated it and rendered it invisible to most visitors.
Speaking of: do you know of any plans to redo Union Square? Oh, I hate that ugly puddle: it serves not as a reflection on the greatness of Congress but as a physical reminder of how removed Congress is today from the American people.
I have not heard of any plans to redo Union Square. The Grant Memorial is one of the best pieces of public art anywhere; the central figure of Grant is just ok, but the flanking elements are superb. I like the pool, though it could be somewhat smaller.
The bigger problem is that the area is dominated by parking. I am looking forward to a new regime in Congress -- I don't care which party -- that simply dispenses with all the permit-only, on-street reserved parking around the Capitol complex. There are enough underground spaces for all Members and Senators, with a lot to spare for very senior staff. The rest of congressional staffers can pay for commercial parking, take metro, or walk or bike to work. Most, in fact, already do this; the on-street permit-only parking does create additional reserved space, but not nearly enough to put more than a small dent in the problem. Get rid of it and landscape the freed space appropriately.
I understand that the Smithsonian is considering scrapping the Haupt Gardens in front of the Castle, replacing the formal, 19th century gardens (perfect in that space) with a more open, lawn-like landscaping designed to accommodate expanded underground space. Bad idea all around. This is what happens when an institution does a top-down review, with expensive architects and landscape designers who think they have to recommend dramatic changes in order to justify their price tags. You end up with change for the sake of change, with excellent and much-loved historical solutions being thrown away simply because some hired gun wants to "make his mark."