Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial

Illustration: A statue of his dog Fala stands near the depiction of Roosevelt
at the F.D.R. Memorial.

 Franklin Deleno Roosevelt led the United States through two of the greatest crises in it's history- the Great Depression and World War II. He was the only U.S. President elected to four terms. But until 1997, there was no memorial to this great President in the nation's capitol. Finally, 52 years after his death, the Franklin Deleno Roosevelt Memorial was dedicated in Washington, D.C.

The memorial winds through seven acres along side the Tidal Basin, a small body of water lined with cherry trees, gardens, waterfalls, pools, and granite walls create four outdoor "rooms", one for each of Roosevelt's terms. The rooms reflect American history from 1933, when F.D.R. took office, to 1945, when he died. Words from some of his memorible speaches are inscribed on the walls. Sculptures by five artists depict Roosevelt, his wife Eleanor, and the people and events of his time. Because polio had left Roosevelt unable to walk unaided, many people wanted a statue of F.D.R. in a wheelchair ot be included in the memorial. But Roosevelt rarely used his wheelchair in public, so his statue shows him in a cape that hides his chair. However, a replica of one of his wheelchairs will soon be placed in the memorial- the first in Washington designed to be wheelchair accessible.

DID YOU KNOW....Congress approved the site for the memorial in the 1950's, and architect Lawrence Halprin designed the monument in the 1970's. But construction didn't begin until 1994.

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A Special Thanks To Groiler Books.

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