Dear Mr. Siciliano and Brig. Gen. Reddel:

The Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission's ("Commission") Fiscal Year 2014 budget request seeks a total of $51 million to pay for the construction of the planned Eisenhower Memorial and the salaries and expenses of the Commission itself. This would be in addition to the $63 million total that has already been appropriated for the planned Memorial and the Commission since 1999, of which $30.9 million was appropriated in Fiscal Year 2012 for the Memorial's design.

Architect Frank Gehry and his design firm, Gehry Partners, LLP, have been awarded the contract to design the Memorial, which is to feature metal tapestries consisting of twisted and bent stainless steel wiring designed to look like barren trees that would be welded together onto steel cables. These tapestries are to be suspended from 80-foot high columns along the perimeter of the Memorial. A significant portion of the cost to design, build, and maintain the Memorial, as planned, would go toward the unprecedented use of these stainless steel "tapestries." However, the exact costs for and durability of the tapestry elements are unknown, given ongoing testing of how they will hold up to real world conditions and regular cleaning.

Read the entire letter HERE.