Evening star., 1961-01-11
LETTERS TO THE STAR
emorioI Likened to New Ruins 'BIeoched Bon,

The picture Of the winning
design for a proposed Frank
lin Roosevelt Memorial as
published 'in The Star of De-
cember 80 has left me In a
state Of aesthetic shock. 1t is
unbelievable that this could
be the best solution resulting
from q national competition.
The composition is obvi-
ously another product of the
somewhat mad but transient
school Of modern design. 1t
leaves one with the thought
that either the panel of
judges was not qualified or
else that the judges were
most sorely pressed in deter
mining q winner from medi-
ocre presentations.
The devising Of SMILES is
probably the most effective
weapon Of the critic: the i'm
mediate observation is that
the proposal is reminiscent
OF the Druid temples at
Stonehenge. England. It fails
to make much sense to start
with O new ruin.
Others. as well as the
writer, have noted the Stone
henge similarity. To me, q
still more appropriate COM
parison Is suggested; the air
view Of the model. as pic
tured in The Star, showing
at q distance the numerous
white concrete slabs, stand
ing on end and protruding in
an irregular manner from
the flats Of Potomac Park,
looks for all the world like
the bleached skeleton Of a
long dead COW, resting on the
vast plains of Texas. The
bones Of a COW are undoubt-
edly q suitable memorial to
that poor beast. but surely
not appropriate for most
Presidents.
Near the proposed site. and
under construction. rise many
tall, thin sectioned. masonry
piers which will support the
new bridge to Virginia. Ex-
cept for the pattern Of ar
rangement. these structures
are similar to the numerous
up-ended slabs forming the
winning design. And, as is
claimed for the selected de-
sign, these piers too would
frame views and maintain
open viStas and have the
added advantage of at least
being utilitarian. Further
more. these piers would pro-
vide vast surfaces on which
to inscribe quotations from
the writings and speeches Of
F. D. r., which is a featured
part Of the proposed memo
rial. Over $3.5 million could
be saved If the bridge piers
were substituted. the end re-
suit being the same.
The winning composition
disregards the rudimentary
and proven elements of de-
sign which. from the earliest
civilizations until recently,
produced the worlds works
Of art.
Design" has been defined
as being "the orderly ar
rangement Of things" 1t is
conceded that these slabs are
things" but they are not
arranged in an orderly man.
ner. In fact they are placed
in a childish. disorganized
tumble that any two-year-
old could accidentally achieve
with q set of dominoes
placed on end. Any compo-
sition, to be satisfying,
should have one main point
Of interest on which the at
tention Is aut tom a tt cally
focused. The winning design
has none. The eye jumps
from one upright slab to an
other, as in a cemetery.
Cemeteries are not noted for
their beauty. although head
stone slabs at least are ar
ranged in an orderly man
ner.
That the design elements
Of unity and harmony have
been completely ignored Is
self-evident. There is not
the slightest feeling of re-
lationship or fitness between
the classically beautiful Lin
coin and Jefferson Memo
rials in close proximity.
When considering this
proposal for q Franklin
Roosevelt Memorial along
with shocked memories of
the three dimensional pref
eel proposed for Theodore
Roosevelt. the feeling is in
escapable that the Roose-
velts are being conspired
against to the end that their
memories would be subject
to ridicule instead Of inspir-
ing the reverence that radi-
ates from the Lincoln ana