BGuthrie Photos: DC -- Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial -- VIsitor Center

DC -- Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial -- VIsitor Center:

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Description of Pictures: Finally photographed the visitor center.

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Copyrights: All pictures were taken by amateur photographer Bruce Guthrie (me!) who retains copyright on them. Free for non-commercial use with attribution. See the [Creative Commons] definition of what this means. "Photos (c) Bruce Guthrie" is fine for attribution. (Commercial use folks including AI scrapers can of course contact me.) Feel free to use in publications and pages with attribution but you don't have permission to sell the photos themselves. A free copy of any printed publication using any photographs is requested. Descriptive text, if any, is from a mixture of sources, quite frequently from signs at the location or from official web sites; copyrights, if any, are retained by their original owners.

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[1] FDRVC_130901_001.JPG	[2] FDRVC_130901_012.JPG	[3] FDRVC_130901_019.JPG
[4] FDRVC_130901_023.JPG	[5] FDRVC_130901_031.JPG	[6] FDRVC_130901_035.JPG
[7] FDRVC_130901_039.JPG	[8] FDRVC_130901_044.JPG	[9] FDRVC_130901_048.JPG
[10] FDRVC_130901_053.JPG	[11] FDRVC_130901_060.JPG	[12] FDRVC_130901_064.JPG
[13] FDRVC_130901_069.JPG	[14] FDRVC_130901_074.JPG	[15] FDRVC_130901_084.JPG
[16] FDRVC_130901_085.JPG	[17] FDRVC_130901_090.JPG	[18] FDRVC_130901_094.JPG
[19] FDRVC_130901_102.JPG	[20] FDRVC_130901_105.JPG	[21] FDRVC_130901_111.JPG
[22] FDRVC_130901_119.JPG	[23] FDRVC_130901_123.JPG	[24] FDRVC_130901_126.JPG
[25] FDRVC_130901_135.JPG	[26] FDRVC_130901_137.JPG	[27] FDRVC_130901_143.JPG
[28] FDRVC_130901_153.JPG	[29] FDRVC_130901_157.JPG

Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. FDRVC_130901_023.JPG: In the summer of 1921, at the age of 39, Franklin Roosevelt contracted poliomyelitis (polio). He never regained the use of his legs. This wheelchair is a replica of one he personally designed and used. Taking parts from a commercial wheelchair and the seat from an ordinary kitchen chair, he constructed a wheelchair that was more versatile and manageable. Using all means necessary -- wheelchairs, leg braces, retrofitted cars, and supporting arms of aides, friends, and family -- Roosevelt remained active and continued his political career. Throughout his life, he championed many causes for disabled Americans and established a foundation and therapeutic center in Warm Springs, Georgia, for people who had polio.
2. FDRVC_130901_031.JPG: Greenbelt, Maryland Living Legacy of the New Deal In 1936 President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Resettlement Administration built the entire town of Greenbelt, Maryland, a bold experiment in town planning and cooperative living. In response to the economic troubles American families faced throughout the country, President Roosevelt created the Resettlement Administration in 1935 and selected Rexford Guy Tugwell, a Columbia University economics professor, to head the agency. Dr. Tugwell envisioned building utopian communities that would provide construction jobs for unemployed workers, well-designed homes for families, and would demonstrate the best principals of town planning. In addition to Greenbelt, a suburb of Washington, DC, the government built two other New Deal "greenbelt towns:" Greenhills, Ohio, near Cincinnati, and Greendale, Wisconsin, near Milwaukee. When he visited Greenbelt, President Roosevelt was so impressed that he declared the town "an experiment that ought to be copied by every community in the United States." First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt took a great interest in Greenbelt and visited the town on numerous occasions. Mrs. Roosevelt believed that decent housing and a nurturing environment for families were basic rights that all Americans should enjoy. Mrs. Roosevelt participated in the extensive planning of Greenbelt. At a planning meeting that Mrs. Roosevelt attended Dr. Rexford Tugwell stated that: "The ultimate objectives of public housing and resettlement are better community and family life -- not simply improved physical facilities, but improved social conditions and improved living." As Greenbelt's construction reached completion, many of Greenbelt's amenities such as a swimming pool, playgrounds, and landscaping were threatened due to budget cuts. Wallace Richards, the coordinator for the Greenbelt project, wrote to Mrs. Roosevelt, " ... last minute economy would affect those very things which we had counted on to hold the townsfolk at home, make them happy and community conscious, and prevent them from spending a disproportionate amount of their income in seeking relaxation elsewhere." He urged her to continue to support the project, saying, "If I were not utterly convinced of the necessity for the full completion of Greenbelt, I would not think of begging you, as I am, to assume an even greater interest in the town. But those of us who have been privileged to meet you know how you devote your time and energy to convince people that, in the long run, social and economic progress is a personal issue, that it means as much to work for the community as for the family. I cannot help but believe that you will feel as I do, that a completed Greenbelt is desirable and that a successful Greenbelt demonstration of a cooperative community life would be one of the socially significant steps in this decade." (Oct. 28, 1937) In response, Mrs. Roosevelt wrote a note directly to President Roosevelt urging him to intercede in some way to ensure that the project was completed with all its recreational facilities. In Greenbelt, walkways wind through large blocks, while automobiles are confined to peripheral roads and parking lots. Houses are built in rows that are clustered in courts encircled by parks and numerous playgrounds. The court design and pedestrian paths empathize a sense of neighborliness and community, while the green space promotes recreation and a connection with nature. Pedestrian underpasses were built for children to travel safely from the homes to the schools and town center without crossing any roads. The town was equipped with elaborate recreation facilities including a swimming pool, tennis courts, and a man-made lake. Originally, a substantial "green belt" of forest and garden plots surrounded the entire town. In addition to the cohesiveness gained through physical planning, social engineering shaped Greenbelt as a community. The federal government carefully chose nearly 900 families from over 5,000 who applied to live in Greenbelt. Tenants were selected for their potential to participated in the community. Greenbelt's residents created a strong sense of community through the formation of numerous cooperative organizations. Greenbelt is the only one of the three Greenbelt towns to form a housing cooperative and carry forward into the modern era the many social and cooperative institutions begun during the New Deal. In 1997 Greenbelt became a National Historic Landmark.
3. FDRVC_130901_039.JPG: A Vision for the Future: Determined to lead America out of war, Roosevelt won a fourth presidential term. Although in failing health, he worked tireless to end hostilities. Roosevelt did not live to see the peace he fought for. People across the world mourned the loss of America's great leader. In London, newsman Edward R. Murrow broadcast Churchill's poignant tribute, "One day the world, and history, will know what it owes to your President.
4. FDRVC_130901_044.JPG: Under a cold gray sky, Roosevelt delivered his fourth Inaugural Address. The ceremony was short, reflecting the somber mood of a country at war. The president made two simple points. First, he quoted an old schoolmaster on life's constant challenges despite setbacks, the overall movement of civilization was upward. Next, he described the legacy of World Wars I and II: this tragic history prohibited the United States from ever again engaging in isolation. Roosevelt linked the country's future to a successful United Nations, which he hoped would promote global cooperation and avoid another catastrophic war.
5. FDRVC_130901_048.JPG: A Nation At War: The international crisis compelled Roosevelt to seek an unprecedented third term. After winning reelection, his major concern was strengthening America's armed forces. In the fall of 1941, the "Victory Program" was activated to speed defense production and military mobilization. Within months, Pearl Harbor ended American isolation. Roosevelt now faced the greatest test of his presidency -- leading his country into the Second World War.
6. FDRVC_130901_053.JPG: Domestic manufacturing was quickly reoriented to supply American armed forces with munitions, combat vehicles, and military supplies. In September 1942, Roosevelt embarked on a transcontinental inspection of the new factories, army camps, and naval bases. He observed how Americans were rallying to meet wartime production requirements, employing millions of women in converted war plants, and rationing scarce domestic supplies under the Victory Program.
7. FDRVC_130901_060.JPG: In late January 1943, Roosevelt flew to Casablanca, Morocco to meet with Great Britain's Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. The trip took two days, and was the first time a president had traveled by air or left the United States during a state of war. On January 21, General George S. Patton accompanied Roosevelt to Rabat, Morocco for lunch with the Fifth Army and a review of the Ninth Infantry Division. Three days later, the Conference ended with one of the most significant pronouncements of the war -- Roosevelt's demand for "unconditional surrender" by the Axis.
8. FDRVC_130901_064.JPG: Eleanor Roosevelt served on America's front lines, bringing people's daily concerns into the White House. On the president's behalf she traveled extensively, gathering important information on the country's condition. Eleanor's many contributions to Roosevelt-era reform programs sprang from her uncompromising commitment to social justice. After her husband's death in 1945, she continued to work for the people as a writer, activist, United National delegate, and "good will ambassador" to the world.
9. FDRVC_130901_069.JPG: On December 7, 1941, Japanese planes bombed the Pearl Harbor naval base. Within two hours, most of the American air and sea fleet had been badly damaged, and 2,323 US servicemen killed. The following day, Roosevelt delivered an emergency message to Congress, referring to the attack as "a date which will live in infamy." After thirty-three minutes, Congress passed a resolution declaring war between the United States and Japan. American isolation was over. Roosevelt, the Commander in Chief of the United States, was now also a principal world leader of the Allied forces.
10. FDRVC_130901_074.JPG: During the turbulent years of his presidency Roosevelt used Springwood, his family home in Hyde Park, New York as a personal retreat. It was also his political headquarters away from Washington DC. Here amongst his neighbors and friends he could remove himself from the Washington spotlight, relax, and informally meet on a personal level with average Americans.
11. FDRVC_130901_084.JPG: Shortly after his Inauguration, Roosevelt began planning for a meeting with Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin. In early February 1945, the "Big Three" arrived at the Crimean port of Yalta to decide on the war's final course. When the summit concluded on February 11, a tenuous agreement existed on the unconditional surrender, occupation, and reparations of Germany, Soviet entry in the Pacific, elections in Eastern Europe, and the United Nations. Roosevelt's influence in holding East and West together helped the Allied defeat Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan, and secured a future for the United Nations, a cornerstone in his vision for world peace.
12. FDRVC_130901_085.JPG: Franklin Delano Roosevelt died suddenly in Warm Springs, Georgia, on April 12, 1945. News of his death spread quickly, shocking people all over the world. On April 14, the funeral procession passed through Washington on its way to the Roosevelt family home in Hyde Park, New York. Along the route, quiet, mourning crowds lined the streets to bid their president a final farewell. The cortege traveled to Roosevelt's beloved Springwood, where he was buried in the family rose garden.
13. FDRVC_130901_090.JPG: A Nation Listens: Events overseas captured America's attention during Roosevelt's second term. A rising tide of aggression by Germany, Italy, and Japan brought the world to the bring of war. In the United States, popular opinion overwhelmingly supported a policy of continued isolation. While Roosevelt searched for an elusive peace, the Allies declared war against Hitler in 1939. American involvement in the conflict appeared inevitable.
14. FDRVC_130901_094.JPG: During the summer of 1940, France fell to Nazi Germany. Great Britain stood alone against the growing fascist threat. Roosevelt saw these events as a direct threat to American security and made defense mobilization a national priority. In mid-September, Congress passed the controversial Selective Service Act. On October 16, men between the ages of 21 and 35 were required to register for the country's first peacetime draft. Ten days later, the president watched a blindfolded Secretary of War, Henry L. Stimson, draw the first draft numbers.
15. FDRVC_130901_102.JPG: Throughout his presidency, Roosevelt addressed the nation in a series of radio broadcasts known as "Fireside Chats." Candidly discussing life's problems, he invited all Americans to join in the political process. The president's voice was strong and clear, as he used common language and everyday analogies to make important points. For the audience this made the "Fireside Chats" seem like intimate conversations with an old friend. For Roosevelt, the "Chats" were an invaluable tool for explaining complex issues and bolstering public confidence.
16. FDRVC_130901_105.JPG: Fallen corp prices and growing debts plagued farmers throughout the Depression. Then, from 1932 to 1936, drought transformed the vast region between Texas and the Dakotas into a "dust bowl" of ruined crops and blowing dirt. Roosevelt responded with an innovative program that revolutionized the business of farming. Debt relief, economic assistance, price controls, subsidies, soil conservation, and rural electrification became agriculture's New Deal. These measures improved the desperate condition of many farmers and, for the first time, extended federal assistance to tenant farmers, migrant workers, and sharecroppers.
17. FDRVC_130901_111.JPG: The New Deal: Franklin Delano Roosevelt's first years as president were devoted to finding a way out of the Great Depression. His answer was the New Deal, an experiment in federal activism that alleviated national suffering and explored creative solutions for economic recovery.
18. FDRVC_130901_119.JPG: Roosevelt moved quickly with his "new deal" for national recovery. During the "First Hundred Days," he pushed fifteen pieces of legislation through Congress. This unprecedented program committed the federal government to relief and reform in both public and private sectors. The Civilian Conservation Corps, Tennessee Valley Authority, Agricultural Adjustment Act, and National Recovery Act were included in the early New Deal.
19. FDRVC_130901_123.JPG: By 1933, between 14.5 and 16 million Americans were out of work (approximately 30 percent of the nation's workforce). The lack of federal welfare programs left overburdened local communities and private charities to provide relief for the poor. In large cities, bread lines and soup kitchens were often the only source of food for thousands of starving men, women, and children. Despair cast a bleak shadow over the start of Roosevelt's presidency.
20. FDRVC_130901_126.JPG: In the spring of 1935, Roosevelt proposed several initiatives to revitalize the New Deal. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was created to provide jobs. Over a seven year period, the WPA hired millions of workers, students, artists, musicians, writers, and actors to complete public projects across the country. After WPA came the "Second Hundred Days," an advanced legislative agenda with provisions for social security payments, utility regulation, and tax reform.
21. FDRVC_130901_135.JPG: In his first inaugural Address, Roosevelt spoke to a nation on the verge of collapse. Three years of the Great Depression had devastated the economy and demoralized the American people. Roosevelt called for decisive federal action to end the national emergency and ensure long-term recovery. Asserting that "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself," the new president inspired confidence. Within two weeks, he restored trust in the nation's financial institutions. More important, he rekindled America's faith in democracy and hope for the future.
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Wikipedia Description: Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial is a presidential memorial dedicated to the memory of U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and to the era he represents.

FDR Memorial:

Dedicated to May 2, 1997, the monument, spread over 7.5 acres, traces 12 years of the history of the United States through a sequence of four outdoor rooms, one for each of FDR's terms of office. Sculptures inspired by photographs depict the 32nd president alongside his dog Fala. Other sculptures depict scenes from the Great Depression, such as listening to a fireside chat on the radio and waiting in a bread line. A bronze statue of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt standing before the United Nations emblem honors her dedication to the UN.

Considering Roosevelt's disability, the memorial's designers intended to create a memorial that would be accessible to those with various physical impairments. Among other features, the memorial includes an area with tactile reliefs with braille writing for people who are blind. However, the memorial faced serious criticism from disabled activists. Some of the braille and reliefs were placed well above the reach of even a very tall person, rendering the braille pointless because no blind person could reach high enough to read it. The statue of FDR also stirred controversy over the issue of his disability. Designers decided against plans to have FDR shown in a wheelchair. Instead, the statue depicts the president in a chair with a cloak obscuring the chair. In deference to the disability advocates, the sculptor added casters to the back of the chair, making it a symbolic "wheelchair." These casters can only be seen if one looks behind the statue.

Many disability advocates remained upset with the FDR statue. A group spearheaded by the National Organization on Disability raised $1.65 million over two years to fund the addition of another statue that clearly showed the president in a wheelchair. In January 2001, the additional statue was placed near the memorial entrance showing FDR seated in a wheelchair much like the one he actually used.

In his 1941 State of the Union Address, as the nation contemplated the increasingly more inevitable prospect of being drawn into the war, President Roosevelt spelled out "Four Freedoms" as a reminder of what America must stand for. From the days of his first presidential campaign during the Great Depression, Roosevelt spoke directly to the people. "I pledge you, I pledge myself," he said in his 1932 acceptance speech, "to a new deal for the American people." Four years later, he proclaimed that "this generation of Americans has a rendezvous with destiny." Throughout his presidency, 1933-1945, he addressed America by radio in what came to be known as fireside chats. Each idea, each phrase was underscored by courage and optimism that inspired the people he served.

More than 50 years after Roosevelt's death, his own words call out from the walls of his memorial as if he were somehow present. Those who know FDR only as a historical figure recognize these words by their association with great and catastrophic events. For the many Americans who lived through the Roosevelt years, the words recall personal struggles and triumphs during 12 years that seemed like a lifetime.

Running water is an important physical and metaphoric component of the memorial. Each of the four "rooms" representing Roosevelt's respective terms in office contains a waterfall. As one moves from room to room, the waterfalls become larger and more complex, reflecting the increasing complexity of a presidency marked by the vast upheavals of economic depression and world war. When the memorial first opened, people were encouraged to wade into the fountains and waterfalls. Within a matter of days, the National Park Service prohibited people from entering the water because they were unable to get insurance.

Tour guides describe the symbolism of the five main water areas as:

* A single large drop - The crash of the economy that led to the Great Depression
* Multiple stairstep drops - The Tennessee Valley Authority dam-building project
* Chaotic falls at varying angles - World War II
* A still pool - Roosevelt's death
* A wide array combining the earlier waterfalls - A retrospective of Roosevelt's presidency

Smaller waterfalls and a reflecting pool located between the "rooms" lend continuity to the water theme.

The memorial was designed by Lawrence Halprin, and includes sculptures and works by Leonard Baskin, Neil Estern, Robert Graham, Thomas Hardy, and George Segal. The national memorial is part of National Mall and Memorial Parks. As an historic area managed by the National Park Service, the memorial was administratively listed on the National Register of Historic Places on date of its establishment, May 2, 1997.

FDR's feelings about a memorial:

FDR had told his friend Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter, "If they are to put up any memorial to me, I should like it to be placed in the center of that green plot in front of the Archives Building. I should like it to consist of a block about the size [of this desk]." In accordance with FDR's wishes, a small, simple memorial to him was placed on the lawn near the corner of 9th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. This small memorial predates the larger one by some 30 years.
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