Description:
Covering approximately 7.5 acres and located along the western bank of the Tidal Basin off of the Potomac River, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial is a monument in Washington D.C. honoring former president Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It is made up of four open-air rooms constructed of granite. Each room is engraved with quotations from some of Roosevelt’s most famous and influential speeches. Within the rooms are waterfalls and pools.
In addition to rooms and engravings, many sculptures are present at memorial. A majority of the sculptures trace the 12 years of Roosevelt’s presidency. One sculpture depicts men waiting in a breadline during the Great Depression and an American listening to a fireside chat, a popular radio show given by Roosevelt during the time. A bronze sculpture of Eleanor Roosevelt was also included on the grounds of the memorial. It is the only presidential memorial that honors a First Lady too. Additionally, Roosevelt is depicted in two bronze sculptures. One of the sculptures depicts Roosevelt sitting with his Scottish Terrier, Fala. Behind him the inscription reads, “They (who) seek to establish systems of government based on the regimentation of all human beings by a handful of individual ruler… call this a new order. It is not new and it is not order.” The other statue portrays Roosevelt in his wheelchair.
​
​
​
General History:
The memorial honors the 32nd president of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who was responsible for the New Deal, social welfare systems, and guidance throughout World War II. During his 12 years of the The current location of the memorial was originally dedicated as the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial Park in 1969. With continued support from Americans, Congress approved the commission of building the memorial. However, the memorial was not finished until 1997. On May 2, 1997, President Bill Clinton dedicated the memorial.
Lawrence Halprin, was the selected memorial designer and landscape architect. The sculptural works within the rooms were done by Leonard Baskin, Neil Estern, Thomas Hardy, and George Segal. In 2001, The National Organization of Disability, lead by Alan Reich, raised $1.65 million within two years in order to fund the addition of a statue that portrays the president in a wheelchair. This was important to the organization and many other Americans because it shows how he overcome his disability cause by poliomyelitis in order to lead the country during one of the most trying times of American history.
​
​
Symbolism/Analysis:
The Franklin Delano Roosevelt memorial’s design is based mostly on symbolism relating to Roosevelt life and time as president. The four rooms symbolism each term that Roosevelt was in office. The running water is also another important symbol of the memorial. The movement of the water itself from room to room symbolizes the increasing complexity of Roosevelt’s presidency influenced by the ups and downs of the Great Depression and World War II.
The first water area which is a large single drop symbolizes the crash of the economy that led to the great Depression. The second water area includes multiple stairstep drops which is reference to the Tennessee Valley Authority dam-building project. The third water exhibit is of chaotic falls at varying angles. This represents World War II and the chaos that came along with it. The fourth portion displays a still pool of water which represents Roosevelt’s death. Lastly, a wide array of waterfalls throughout the memorial represents a retrospective view of Roosevelt’s presidency.
