• Location: upstairs on the comfy loveseat with Abby
• Mood: awake
• Music: George Harrison-"My Sweet Lord"

The Jefferson Memorial

For some reason I thought that the Jefferson Memorial was centuries old, but it turns out that on this day, November 15th, in 1939 (72 years ago today) President Franklin Delano Roosevelt laid the cornerstone for the building as construction began. The building was designed by John Russell Pope and was built by Philadelphia contractor John McShain. Construction began in 1939 following the dedication by FDR and the building was completed in 1943. The bronze statue of Jefferson was added in 1947.



Construction commenced amid significant opposition. The Commission of Fine Arts never actually approved any design for the Memorial and even published a pamphlet in 1939 opposing both the design and site of the Memorial. Many Washingtonians opposed the site because many well established elm and cherry trees had to be removed for construction.

In 1939, the Memorial Commission hosted a competition to select a sculptor for the planned statue in the center of the Memorial. They received 101 entries and chose six finalists. Of the six, Rudulph Evans was chosen as the main sculptor.



The Jefferson Memorial was officially dedicated by President Roosevelt on April 13, 1943, the 200th anniversary of Jefferson's birthday. At that time, Evans' statue had not yet been finished. Due to material shortages during World War II, the statue that was installed at the time was a plaster cast of Evans' work painted to look like bronze. The finished bronze statue was installed in 1947.