WWI MEMORIAL DESIGN APPROVED BY U.S. COMMISSION OF FINE ARTS

According to the United States World War I Centennial Commission, the design concept for the Richard Lounsbery Foundation supported national World War I memorial has been approved by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. Here is a summary from the WWI Centennial Commission's website:

A century after the first world war, a project to build a national World War I memorial has taken a significant step forward.

The latest design concept for the memorial has been approved by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, according to an announcement Thursday, July 19 from the World War I Centennial Commission.

Plans call for the memorial to built built at Pershing Park along Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington by 2020.

Illustrations of the planned memorial feature a long stone wall with figures of troops leaving their families, fighting and falling in combat, suffering wounds and ultimately returning. The plan shows the structure in a wooded park setting with a reflecting pool.

Designs for the memorial got a unanimous vote during a presentation Thursday by the commission’s project team. The project was presented to CFA, the National Park Service and the National Capital Planning Commission.

“We will continue to push forward in this effort. Our veterans deserve our best effort, and we owe it to them,” said WWI Centennial Commission chair Terry Hamby in a release.

Architect David Rubin and members of the commission said variations on the design may be developed further with the oversight organizations.

Congress in 2014 designated the site of the new memorial, which is intended to honor the Americans who served in the war, numbering more than four million men and women.

To read the full article and learn more about this important project, please visit the World War I Centennial Commission’s Website.