WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts today met with the Eisenhower Memorial Commission for a progress report on a memorial on the National Mall for Kansas’ native son, President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Roberts has been a commissioner since Congress first commissioned the memorial more than a decade ago.

“I am pleased the design has been approved and we are ready to move into the next phase of the project, possibly breaking ground as early as next year,” Roberts said. “Kansans will be honored to know that the concept by world renowned American artist Frank Gehry, features a large landscape image of Abilene, literally bringing Kansas to the base of our nation’s Capitol.”

The Eisenhower Memorial will be located next to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Transportation– both founded during the Eisenhower administration.

The design team is now in the final concept phase. In January and February of this year, the Commission on Fine Arts voted unanimously to approve the design concept, and the National Capitol Planning Commission also expressed support.

The goal is to complete the memorial and dedicate it by May 25, 2015 - the 70th anniversary of victory in World War II. At that point the memorial will be turned over to the National Park Service, and the Eisenhower Memorial Commission will disband.

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