International design competition for WWI memorial begins

The U.S. World War I Centennial Commission proposes that Pershing Park (named for World War I General John J. Pershing) should be redesignated, reconceived and redeveloped as a national World War I Memorial. An international competition will open Thursday for the design of the National World War I Memorial. Talented designers worldwide will be asked to submit their plans this summer to be judged by a panel of selected individuals including people from the military, the arts and government, as well as ordinary citizens. According to the organizers, the goal is to raise $15 million for the project. The vice chair of the commission, Edwin Fountain, stated that he foresees three groups of people being drawn to the proposed National World War I Memorial: tourists paying their respects; office workers and other residents who would use the park for a picnic lunch or a stroll; and people who would be drawn to the memorial’s design as an iconic work of art. The U.S. World War I Centennial Commission wants to have the memorial completed by 2018 (the 100th anniversary of the end of the World War I).