Letter
Dear Mr. Kaczmarek:
In its meeting of 15 April, the Commission of Fine Arts reviewed the concept design for the proposed Old Guard Monument and garden to be located in Fort Myer on Sheridan Avenue adjacent to Summerall Field. The Commission approved the concept design with recommendations and delegated the review and approval of the final submission to the Commission staff.
The Commission members commented that this project presents a worthy civic and ceremonial opportunity to honor those who have served in The Old Guard; they made several recommendations to improve the design and setting of the monument. The first recommendation was to center the alignment of the project symmetrically on the Town Hall building, which may result in reconfiguring the paths in the garden and the parking on the east side of the site. To reinforce the character of this special precinct, the Commission recommended that all sides of the garden be further defined, such as with a border of low hedges or additional fencing. They also recommended that the benches near the sculpture be redesigned to be more in character with the other design elements of the project. In addition, the Commission members supported the subtlety of the proposed accent lighting and suggested that this intent be maintained as the design is finalized.
As noted above, the Commission approved the submitted concept design with these recommendations and delegated the review and approval of the final design submission to the staff. The Commission staff is available to assist you with the final submission for this project and with future projects.
Sincerely,
Thomas E. Luebke, AIA
Secretary
Ronald Kaczmarek, Director, Public Works
U.S. Army Installation Management Command
Headquarters, United States Army Garrison, Fort Myer
204 Lee Avenue
Fort Myer, VA 22211-1199
cc: Myrtle Bowen, U.S. Army Installation Management Command
Alex Zaras, Zaras & Neudorfer Architects