Audio
Frank Gehry's Vision
Transcript
World-renowned architect frank gehry designed the eisenhower memorial. In this interview gary speaks with his biographer
the architecture critic paul goldberger about the choices and challenges that went into realizing his vision
Why eisenhower why would you want to be designing a memorial to this general and president?
I really got into the man the whole life the whole ethos, I mean once you're caught up in it, It's amazing. Made me realize there was more to Eisenhower than a lot of us ever thought about it seems that there was sort of a firm and quiet authority.
Exactly there's somebody that understood people and understood their needs and was able to Fulfill their needs but have them operative at a crucial moment in history.
One of the things that makes this memorial unusual is that it really is a memorial that
encompasses the whole arc of his life. I was trying to keep it simple so that you walked into the memorial and in two minutes you could see the story you saw the general you saw the the president and now you
see the the normandy coast and you see it all at once.
It's it's separate but it's one story and you see it while you're standing under a tree which is symbolically a point of learning.
I hope there's a modicum of serenity in the experience.
I wanted them to stand there and connect with with eisenhower the man,because he was such a great man and such an important man and such an important american.
In both the presidential and the military tableau. He's shown relating to other people.This is rare among memorials because memorials often support the kind of cult of the individualas this vast figure who operated as a great person.
Above all others and in fact, you don't feel that here you feel him operating in concert with others. Yes the idea of Eisenhower is being with the people amongst people and and needing and wanting to be communal not, uh represented as in a napoleonic way.
I think that resonated very much. That was the surprise for me. Well, I was going to ask you about the broader challenge of designing a sort of a modern memorial
that is true to your own instincts as an architect and yet fulfills the ethos of a memorial this story.
Is that for my fellow architects is it doesn't have to be my language. In fact, it's better without that. There's no curving titanium in this no no no, the whole thing is new invention. I I don't know if we'd ever do anything like this again.
I'm as i'm approaching 91 the opportunity is not but the fact that you wanted to push yourself, not only to honor eisenhower but to do some architecture that was a little bit different from things you've done before I think is yeah, I think as an architect if you
go with the flow go with the project, go with the problem, go with the client, go with the
situation.
Something comes out of it that's unique. It's like a scientist. It's an exploration. You don't know where you're going and and creativity is like that if if you know where you're going it's not exciting to do it, to be creating something that has so much gravitas for the world.
That was I was living with that for a long time in the end, it's a great honor to be part of it
This audio guide has been made possible with the generous donation from the boeing company
Description
Hear from world-renowned architect Frank Gehry on the process and meaning behind his design for the memorial. In a conversation with his biographer Paul Goldberger, Gehry reflects on how the memorial came to be and what Eisenhower’s legacy means to him.
Duration
4 minutes, 29 seconds
Credit
Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission
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