Vietnam Memorial Visiter Center OK'd

[Lonestar]

USA Today
October 19, 2007
Pg. 3

Visitor Center OK'd For Vietnam Memorial


A design panel gave its blessing to an underground visitor center to accompany the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington.

The 35,000-square-foot Vietnam Veterans Memorial Center will be built between the Lincoln Memorial and the long, sloped wall of the veterans memorial. It will be almost entirely underground, an attempt to avoid overshadowing the wall.

"It must convey to all who enter or all who pass by a solemn and meaningful experience that reinforces the monument's poetic impact," said James Polshek, an architect who presented the design to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts.

The project could cost as much as $100 million, with groundbreaking planned for 2010.

Ugh. Like we don't have enough crap on The Mall. I think a visitor center undermines the simplicity of the wall, myself..

[The Spartan]

I agree. It doesn't need a visitor's center. It's understated but very powerful.

I went when I was a kid, maybe 7th or 8th grade. I thought it would be utterly uninteresting; just a wall. Then I got there and saw row after row of name. I was speechless until long after we left. It didn't help that we were in Arlington Cemetery and while there were plenty of tourists there, it's still a cemetery and both throughout and at the Wall there were people visiting loved ones, so to speak, leaving flowers, packs of cigarettes, six packs. Some crying. Some just quiet.

[Tiger Ace]

Ugh. Like we don't have enough crap on The Mall. I think a visitor center undermines the simplicity of the wall, myself..

Ugh, no, these places work best when they're simple.

[Starglider]

I can see the point of this. When the memorial was built, everyone understood what the vietnam war was (at least the basics) and what its social effects were. Over twenty years after the war ended, there are starting to be a significant fraction of visitors for whom it is only a vague idea, half-remembered from history class. It's arguable whether a visitor's centre on the Washington mall is a good way to address this, but I can see why they'd want to try.

[Chardok]

I think that image anwsers the question of "Should we have a visitor's center?"

No.

[Darth Wong]

On the one hand, the lesson of Vietnam was clearly forgotten, judging by the way America proudly rushed into Iraq with flags a-fluttering. On the other hand, I doubt that any "visitor centre" in DC would solve that problem.

[Kanastrous]

That image ^^ still kind of chokes me up.

What bothered me about the Memorial grounds, last time I was there, were the sort of ramshackle lean-to souvenier shacks nearby. I think the guys operating them were vets, and I sure don't object to allowing them opportunities to make their way as best they can, but it did seem to detract from the dignity and solemnity of the place.

Then again, maybe people visiting the memorial ought to see some for-real veterans on the way in, and get a taste of how poorly we collectively look after their interests.

[Sea Skimmer]

I see no point to a visitor’s center, and given what happened with the capital building visitor center this is going to mean the mall is going to be a giant scar of dirt for ten years. It really is just painful to look at pictures of what the mall was even in WW2, vs. its now dramatically reduced size.

[Lonestar]

Ugh, no, these places work best when they're simple.

Didn't I just say that?