October 6, 2005
Comments from
National Coalition to Save Our Mall
regarding the
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Center project
John V. Cogbill, III
Chairman
National Capital Planning Commission
401 9th Street, NW
North Lobby, Suite 500
Washington, D.C. 20576
VIA FAX: 202-482-7272
RE: NCPC File No. 6597 Vietnam Veterans Memorial Center
Dear Chairman Cogbill:
In lieu of testifying, the National Coalition to Save Our Mall submits the following written comments regarding the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Center project.
The Executive Director’s Recommendation (EDR) is a thorough and strong analysis of many of the issues surrounding Site A, located on the Lincoln Memorial Grounds near Constitution Avenue and 23rd Street. We concur with the findings and with the recommendation that the Commission disapprove that site. The Coalition has also expressed concern, during Section 106 consultations and in testimony before the Commission of Fine Arts, about encroachment on the Lincoln Memorial and the historic Lincoln Memorial Grounds as documented by the National Park Service’s Cultural Landscape Report.
We were amazed to note that the View Cone utilized in determining sightlines to the Memorial (p. 9) considered only the peristyle from floor to roof as the critical area to be preserved rather than the monumental base upon which this temple sits, which is of course a major contributor to its classic grandeur.
The staff has done an excellent job of evaluating the weaknesses and limitations of the sponsor’s "Site Selection Study Site Location Evaluation" (p. 17). We support the conclusion that "the evaluation criteria…do not result in a site selection that satisfies the mandate of the Commission to protect the National Mall’s important historic and cultural spaces." And that "the preferred site does not satisfy all of the mandatory selection criteria established by the applicant."
We urge the Commission to accept staff’s intelligent analysis and recommendations to disapprove Site A, and to direct the sponsors to continue analyzing other sites.
Sincerely,
Judy Scott Feldman, PhD
Chair
Back to the top
| 
