Letter
Dear Col. Wiker:
In its public meeting of 21 November conducted by videoconference, the Commission of Fine Arts reviewed the Area Development Plan for Memorial Avenue, which was recently transferred from the National Park Service, as a component of the Arlington National Cemetery Master Plan. The Commission approved this conceptual feasibility study concerning the main entrance into the cemetery with the following comments.
The Commission members expressed support for this important proposal to reestablish an honorific, integrated entry sequence for visitors and families to the cemetery. Recognizing the complexity of this area within the overall cemetery context, they recommended studying traffic movements to ensure visitor safety at Memorial Avenue, as well as providing a suitable landscape setting for adjacent uses such as the planned Arlington Memorial Trail. For the development of the adjacent burial areas, they expressed concern that the two proposed columbarium complexes appear as unrelated elements within the established setting, and they recommended further development of these elements to better integrate them within the larger cemetery landscape.
The Commission looks forward to further review of this important component of the Arlington National Cemetery Master Plan. Please consult on the development of the design of individual projects with the staff which, as always, is available to assist you.
Sincerely,
/s/Thomas E. Luebke, FAIA
Secretary
Col. Andrew Wiker, Director of Engineering
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington, VA 22211
cc: Julie Langan, Virginia Department of Historic Resources