Gehry-designed memorial controversy
Frank Gehry is being put under fire by the Eisenhower family for his plans to design a towering post-modern style memorial in Washington D.C. to honor the 34th president. The Eisenhower family specifically objects that the design would overshadow the accomplishments he made while in office and during World War II, instead emphasizing his Kansan origins. Moreover, the Eisenhowers don't feel that Gehry's grand avant-garde approach meshes well with former president Eisenhower's very down-to-earth, traditionalist sensibilities-even bizarrely accusing Gehry of sexualizing children in his statue of the former president as a child.
Though it's unclear why Eisenhower's grandson, who sat on the National Capitol Planning commission (and has since dropped out), never put forth any of these concerns nor voted against any of the designs. The conflict continues to escalate, as they've teamed up with the National Civic Arts Society to prepare a "book-length report" detailing every minute objection they have to the design plans. Say what you will about Gehry's monstrous designs, but at this rate, we wonder if the Eisenhowers are just too caught up in tradition to notice the genius in Gehry's vision.
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