Four Questions for Edwin Fountain

"We remain committed to beginning construction by Armistice Day (Veterans Day) 2018"

By Chris Isleib
Director of Public Affairs, U.S. World War One Centennial Commission

On May 18, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) approved the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission’s design concept for a national World War I Memorial in the nation’s capital. Edwin Fountain, Vice Chair of the Commission, took some time to share his thoughts about the outcome of the hearing, and the way ahead for the Memorial.

May 18 was a significant milestone for this memorial project. Tell us about what happened.

Edwin Fountain, Vice Chair of the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission.Thursday’s decision by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts was a significant milestone for the WWI memorial project. Federal memorials in Washington, DC are subject to design approval by the CFA. On Thursday the CFA granted “concept approval” for the proposed memorial, which means the CFA endorsed our proposal to establish a memorial at Pershing Park in the form of a monumental work of bronze bas-relief sculpture. This sculpture will be the centerpiece of a trio of memorial elements, including the existing statue of General Pershing as well as a ceremonial flag stand that will offer additional opportunities for commemoration of the war.

It was said after the vote that "Now the real work begins". What do you mean by that?

Concept approval is just that – approval of a concept. The detailed work in designing the sculpture and the park as a whole remains to be done. Our sculptor, Sabin Howard, will continue to develop the sculptural themes and images, in consultation with the WWI Centennial Commission and CFA. The design team will continue to work on other aspects of the site design, including subsidiary commemorative elements, the fountain, lighting, seating, overall site engineering, and so on. And then of course fund-raising is still underway for the memorial.

What are the next formal-process steps for the Centennial Commission, in their work with the CFA, the NCPC, and the National Park Service? What is the project schedule, looking forward?

We will present the concept to the National Capital Planning Commission next month. NCPC is the other federal agency that has design approval authority for the park. The project also will continue to undergo review under the National Historic Preservation Act and the National Environmental Protection Act. Given the elaborate regulatory processes involved, and the number of stakeholders who will participate, it is difficult to predict a schedule. Our fundraising efforts will ultimately drive the construction schedule, but we remain committed to beginning construction by Armistice Day (Veterans Day) 2018, the centennial of the end of the war.

Are you pleased with the outcome on Thursday's CFA meeting?

Absolutely. It may seem like it has been a long process, but we went from the launch of the design competition to concept approval by the CFA in less than two years, which is actually pretty fast. We are grateful to the efforts of the CFA and NCPC staff, as well as the National Park Service and District of Columbia Office of Planning, for their cooperation in helping move this process forward.

 Members of the WW1CC memorial project team, outside the Commission of Fine Arts meeting, immediately after the successful vote of support.