Letter
Dear Ms. Hall:
In its public meeting of 18 November conducted by videoconference, the Commission of Fine Arts reviewed the site selection study for a small memorial commemorating the Republic of Texas legation to the United States during its period of independence in the 1830s and 1840s. The Commission recommended approval of Site F-1 with the following comments for consideration as the site selection process is completed under the Commemorative Works Act.
The Commission members complimented the project team for the extensive historical research that formed the basis of the site selection study, and they cited the restraint in planning for a memorial or marker of modest size. Among the preferred sites presented, they recommended the northern option of the two studied for Site F; this would locate the memorial along the south side of the 600 block of Indiana Avenue, within a context of surviving nineteenth-century buildings, including some that existed at the time of the Texas legation’s presence in this neighborhood. Noting the difficulty of maintaining a dignified appearance for a commemorative element located on a landscape curb or pavement, they recommended designing the memorial as a plaque mounted on a plinth or pedestal. They acknowledged the contextual challenges associated with the southern option of Site F, and they noted several concerns with Site E, including the existing uses for recreation, pets, and emergency vehicle access.
The Commission looks forward to review of the design for this memorial upon conclusion of the site selection process. As always, the staff is available to assist you with the next submission.
Sincerely,
/s/Thomas E. Luebke, FAIA
Secretary
Kym A. Hall, Area Director
Region 1–National Capital Area
National Park Service
1100 Ohio Drive, SW
Washington, DC 20242
cc: Kitty Mellen Hoeck, Daughters of the Republic of Texas
Marcel Acosta, National Capital Planning Commission