• FDR Memorial bread line statues

    Franklin Delano Roosevelt

    Memorial District of Columbia

History & Culture

FDR

President Roosevelt's statue as seen in the Third Term room.

NPS PHOTO

Visit the Ranger Journal Blog for articles about this and other memorials in the National Mall and Memorial Parks!

Franklin Roosevelt remains intimately connected to the National Park Service. During a speech in 1936, President Roosevelt noted the special quality of national parks by stating that "there is nothing so American." He captured the essential truth of the agency by declaring, "the fundamental idea behind the parks...is that the country belongs to the people, that it is in process of making for the enrichment of the lives of all of us."

Did You Know?

Statues of dustbowl couple

The statue of FDR in a wheelchair, located at the memorial entrance, was not part of the original design, nor was it present for the 1997 dedication.  Interested parties, including the National Organization on Disability, fought to depict FDR in a wheelchair; this additional statue appeared in 2001.