FDR Memorial - Rendezvous With Destiny

For those people who lived through the Roosevelt era during 1933-1945, the words and images throughout this stirring monument recall 12 years of personal struggles and triumphs.

The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial is part of the National Park System in Washington D.C. and is one of several presidential monuments and memorials in the area. The FDR Memorial is the newest one, having been completed in 1997. In 1955, Congress established a committee to build a memorial to Franklin Roosevelt. Several design competitions were held over the years and, in 1978, a design was chosen. The memorial took 19 years to complete from 1978 until 1997. On May 3, 1997, President Bill Clinton dedicated the memorial to Roosevelt.

The monument spans 7.5 acres and isn't so much a singular statue or building as it is a small park, featuring shade trees, waterfalls and quiet alcoves in addition to the statues. The memorial is divided into five "rooms" that includes a Prologue Room, and one for each of FDR's terms in office. The rooms are defined by walls of South Dakota granite and accented with ornamental plantings. Quotes from FDR are carved into the granite. Water cascades and quiet pools are present throughout. Each room conveys a different part of Roosevelt's spirt and theme from a particular time during his adminstration.

Visitors begin their tour of the FDR Memorial at a statue of Roosevelt in a wheelchair. It's a sobering sight to see a lifesized bronze likeness of the President in his homemade wheelchair. He spent his entire administration bound to the wheelchair, as he contracted polio at the age of 39.

Room One introduces the challenges facing FDR early in his presidency, when he launched the New Deal in response to the Great Depression, the worst economic crisis this country has ever faced. Room Two features sculptural themes - an urban breadline, a rural couple and a man listening to one of Roosevelt's famed "Fireside Chats". Each of these sobering themes recalls both the despair and hope of the times. In Room Three, Roosevelt appears as a seated figure alongside his beloved dog, "Fala". Room Four honors the life and legacy of FDR. A sculpture of Roosevelt's funeral cortege hangs in an alcove. There is a stature of Eleanor Roosevelt to commemorate her role as First Lady, in addition to her work as a delegate of the United Nations.

Visit the FDR Memorial during your next trip to Washington, D.C. It's well-worth the time spent.