Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
FDR Memorial sign in 2008
Location	Washington, D.C., United States
Coordinates	38°53′2″N 77°2′40″W / 38.88389°N 77.04444°W / 38.88389; -77.04444
Area	7.50 acres (3.04 ha)
Established	May 2, 1997
Visitors	3,288,299 (in 2018)
Governing body	National Park Service
Website	Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial

The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial is a presidential memorial in Washington D.C., dedicated to the memory of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd president of the United States, and to the era he represents. The memorial is one of two in Washington honoring Roosevelt.

Dedicated on May 2, 1997, by President Bill Clinton, the national memorial, spread over 7.5 acres (3.0 ha) adjacent to the southwest side of the Tidal Basin along the Cherry Tree Walk in West Potomac Park, traces 12 years of the history of the United States through a sequence of four outdoor rooms, one for each of FDR's terms of office.^[1] Sculptures inspired by photographs depict the 32nd president alongside his dog Fala.

Other sculptures depict scenes from the Great Depression, such as listening to a fireside chat on the radio and waiting in a bread line. A bronze statue of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt standing before the United Nations emblem honors her work with the UN and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This is the only presidential memorial to depict a First Lady.^[2]

Considering Roosevelt's disability, the memorial's designers intended to create a memorial that would be accessible to those with various physical impairments. Among other features, the memorial includes an area with tactile reliefs with braille writing for people who are blind. However, the memorial faced serious criticism from disabled activists. Vision-impaired visitors complained that the braille dots were improperly spaced and that some of the braille and reliefs were mounted eight feet off of the ground, placing it above the reach of most people.^[3]