Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial

After a lunch break at the Pentagon City Mall it was back on the tour bus for one final stop. We headed back to the Tidal Basin. Half way between the Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson Memorials we pulled over for a walk to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial.

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There are actually 2 memorials to FDR in Washington DC. The first, located in front of the National Archives was built to FDR’s specifications, about the size of his desk.

When Memorial #2 (the one we were about to visit) was dedicated his granddaughter, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, made the shrewd comment, “Memorials are for us. They aren’t necessarily for the people they memorialize.”

The new Memorial consist of 4 open air rooms, one for each term of his presidency.

The Prologue Room

Enter the memorial at the visitor center on north side off West Basin Dr. I don’t think I did that and it left me confused as to which room I was in from that point on.

You will know you are in the Prologue room because you’ll see a life size statue of FDR in his wheelchair. This room and the statue was added 3 years after the memorial was opened and following a great deal of debate. FDR never wanted to appear weak in public so did his best to avoid using the wheelchair except in private.

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Today the advocacy groups for people with disabilities consider FDR a role model and lobbied hard for the inclusion of the wheelchair statue.

Room 1

In room one we find a bronze bas-relief of the first inauguration. The single drop waterfall symbolizes the economic crash that started the Great Depression.

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Room 2

This room contains two very powerful statues…The Breadline which illustrates despair

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and The Fireside Chat which symbolizes Hope.

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The water fall in this room is multi-tiered and controlled, a nod to the Tennessee Valley Authority dam-building project.

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Room 3

Water crashes over boulders in all directions suggestion the chaos and destruction of the War years.

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Amidst this violence Roosevelt with his beloved dog, Fala, calmly presides over the world around them.

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Room 4

Roosevelt’s death is symbolized by the silent pool of water. It’s still surface reflects the Bas Relief called The Funeral Cortege. The carving represents a nation mourning following the death of the only president many can remember.

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Eleanor Roosevelt also has a statue here. It the only statue to honor a First Lady. She is honored for her contributions not only as First Lady but as one of the early delegates representing the United States at the newly formed United Nations.