American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial

Description

The memorial comprises five elements. A five-pointed star fountain, 30 inches in height, sits at the northern end of the site, clad in St. John's Black granite. Water overflows the basin into a trough, and an eternal flame burns in the center; jets generate natural gas bubbles that ignite to a flame about 3 feet high, varying with weather. Sensors monitor the flame and pressure sensors stop gas flow if someone climbs in.

The system is remotely controlled via the Internet. A reflecting pool extends south and southeast from the fountain, rising 10 inches from the plaza, also made of St. John's Black granite. The water in both fountain and pool reflects the nearby Capitol building. A "Wall of Gratitude" consists of two 12-foot reinforced concrete walls clad in Bethel White granite, extending along the western side.

Inscriptions on the east face include quotations from General George Washington and General Dwight Eisenhower, the memorial's name, and expressions of gratitude. A passage between the two wall segments orients visitors toward the Capitol dome.

Origins

In 1995, Lois Pope, widow of National Enquirer owner Generoso Pope Jr., met a disabled veteran at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and realized no memorial in the city honored disabled veterans. She called the office of Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jesse Brown daily for six months until her call was put through; Brown agreed to support legislation. Because the Commemorative Works Act barred federal funds, a foundation was needed for private fundraising.

Brown introduced Pope to Art Wilson, national adjutant of the Disabled American Veterans. Pope and Wilson agreed to create the Disabled Veterans for Life Memorial Foundation, incorporated in 1998 with Wilson as president. They began lobbying Congress, announcing the effort on November 9, 1998. Senators John McCain, Max Cleland, and John Kerry introduced authorizing legislation in January 1999, with companion legislation in the House by Representative John Murtha.

Fundraising and extension of deadline

The Commemorative Works Act limited legislative authorization to seven years, requiring site and design approval, consultation with preservationists, signed construction contracts, and sufficient funds. In 2003, Congress relaxed standards: a construction permit could be issued if final design approval was given and the foundation had 75 percent of construction funds. Each foundation must also raise 10 percent of total cost for a maintenance trust fund.

The foundation began fundraising in August 2002; cost estimates ranged from $35 million to $60 million. Early efforts included selling gold-plated commemorative medallions at $29.95 each. Pope paid for advertisements featuring General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, poet Maya Angelou, and NFL star Michael Strahan. On Veterans Day 2002, the Lois Pope LIFE Foundation donated $2 million, and Disabled American Veterans chapters began fundraising.

By 2004, the cost was still pegged at $60 million, with about $20 million budgeted for restoring C Street SW to its historic alignment.

Design

Designs for memorials on federal property in D.C. require approval from the National Capital Planning Commission, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, and the D.C. Historic Preservation Office. In October 2001, the NCPC approved the site but required C Street SW to be restored to its historic alignment, altering the site geometry and limiting on-site parking.

The foundation held a design competition; on November 11, 2002, about 20 architects and landscape architects were invited, and six firms responded. A nine-member design committee reviewed anonymous proposals in February 2003, asking Michael Vergason Landscape Architects and Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects for refined proposals including cost estimates, schedules, and scale models. In July 2003, the committee selected Michael Vergason Landscape Architects, and the foundation's board affirmed the choice.