Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial |
|
|---|---|
FDR Memorial sign in 2008
|
|
 Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
Location in Central Washington, D.C.
|
|
| Location | Washington, D.C., United States |
| Area | 7.50 acres (3.04 ha) |
| Established | May 2, 1997 |
| Visitors | 3,288,299 (in 2018) |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
| Website | Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial |
The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial is a special place in Washington D.C.. It honors Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was the 32nd president of the United States. The memorial also remembers the important time in history when he was president.
This memorial was opened on May 2, 1997, by President Bill Clinton. It covers about 7.5 acres (3 hectares) near the Tidal Basin. The memorial tells the story of FDR's 12 years as president. It does this through four outdoor "rooms," one for each of his terms in office.
You can see many sculptures here. They show President Roosevelt with his dog, Fala. Other sculptures show scenes from the Great Depression, a time when many people struggled. For example, you can see people listening to his "fireside chats" on the radio. There are also sculptures of people waiting in a bread line.
A special bronze statue honors First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. She stands in front of the United Nations emblem. This statue celebrates her work with the UN and human rights. It is the only presidential memorial that includes a First Lady.
The memorial was designed to be easy for everyone to visit, including people with disabilities. It has areas with raised pictures and braille writing for visitors who are blind. However, some people felt the braille was too high or spaced incorrectly.
Contents
Memorial Design and Features
The memorial was designed by a landscape architect named Lawrence Halprin. He won a competition for the design in 1974. It took over 20 years for the project to get funding and be built.
The memorial has four outdoor "rooms" and gardens. Water, stone, and sculptures bring the design to life. Famous artists like Leonard Baskin and Neil Estern created the sculptures.
Water is a very important part of the memorial. Each of the four "rooms" has a waterfall. As you move through the rooms, the waterfalls get bigger and more complex. This shows how Roosevelt's presidency became more challenging. He faced the Great Depression and World War II.
Tour guides explain what the five main water areas mean:
- A single large drop – This represents the sudden crash of the economy. This event led to the Great Depression.
- Multiple stairstep drops – These show projects like the Tennessee Valley Authority. This project built dams.
- Chaotic falls at varying angles – These symbolize the chaos of World War II.
- A still pool – This calm water represents Roosevelt's death.
- A wide array combining the earlier waterfalls – This part looks back at all of Roosevelt's time as president.
When the memorial first opened, people could walk into the fountains. But the National Park Service quickly stopped this. They wanted to keep visitors safe from accidents.
FDR's Wheelchair and the Memorial
Franklin D. Roosevelt used a wheelchair because of his disability. However, during his life, this was not widely known. People at the time thought showing a disability made a person seem weak.
The original statue of FDR at the memorial did not clearly show him in a wheelchair. It showed him sitting in a chair with a cloak covering it. This was how he often appeared in public. Some historians and disability rights groups felt this was not accurate. They wanted his disability to be shown. They believed it was a source of his strength.
To address these concerns, the sculptor added small wheels, called casters, to the back of the chair. These casters are hard to see.
Later, a group called the National Organization on Disability raised money. In January 2001, a new statue was added near the memorial entrance. This statue clearly shows President Roosevelt seated in a wheelchair. It looks much like the one he actually used.
Gallery
-
Sign outside of the FDR Memorial in Washington DC
-
"I hate war" inscription.
-
View of the Washington Monument from the FDR Memorial.
The Original Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
President Roosevelt himself had an idea for his memorial. In 1941, he told a friend, Felix Frankfurter, that he wanted something very simple. He said it should be a block of stone, about the size of his desk. He wanted it placed in front of the National Archives building. He said it should be plain, with no decorations. It should just say, "In Memory of ____".
In 1965, a simple block of white marble was placed there. It is 3 feet (0.9 meters) tall, 7 feet (2.1 meters) long, and 4 feet (1.2 meters) wide. It has the words: "In Memory of Franklin Delano Roosevelt 1882–1945".
A bronze plaque nearby explains Roosevelt's wish:
In September 1941, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt called his friend, Supreme Court Justice Frankfurter, to the White House and asked the Justice to remember the wish he then expressed:
If any memorial is erected to me, I know exactly what I should like it to be. I should like it to consist of a block about the size of this (putting his hand on his desk) and placed in the center of that green plot in front of the Archives Building. I don't care what it is made of, whether limestone or granite or whatnot, but I want it plain without any ornamentation, with the simple carving, "In Memory of ____".
A small group of living associates of the President, on April 12, 1965, the twentieth anniversary of his death, fulfilled his wish by providing and dedicating this modest memorial.
See also
In Spanish: Memorial a Franklin Delano Roosevelt para niños
- List of statues of Franklin D. Roosevelt
- List of national memorials of the United States
- List of sculptures of presidents of the United States
- History of fountains in the United States
- Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park, New York City; site of another memorial park, opened in 2012.
- Architecture of Washington, D.C.
- Presidential memorials in the United States
