Letter
Dear Ms. Mendelson-Ielmini:
In its meeting of 18 September, the Commission of Fine Arts considered the site selection for the proposed memorial to victims of the Ukrainian Famine of 1932-33, as authorized by Public Law 109-340.
The Commission members discussed the National Park Service’s preferred site, Reservation 196 at the intersection of New Jersey Avenue and First and F Streets, NW, noting that this small reservation is already attractively landscaped including a large tree; they expressed concern that anything more substantial than a very small memorial at the north end of the triangular reservation could harm these attributes. They concluded that these concerns would not apply to the alternative site, Reservation 78 at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and North Capitol and F Streets, which is a comparably sized triangular parcel with high visibility and only minimal landscape improvements. Accordingly, the Commission approved Reservation 78 for the memorial.
The Commission looks forward to further review of this proposed memorial, including a design concept when available. As always, the staff is available to assist you.
Sincerely,
/s/Thomas E. Luebke, AIA
Secretary
Lisa Mendelson-Ielmini, Regional Director
National Park Service, National Capital Region
1100 Ohio Drive, SW
Washington, DC 20242
cc: Peter May, National Park Service
Alan Harwood, EDAW