Jeanne Meserve: Plans for the World War II memorial

Jeanne Meserve

Jeanne Meserve is an anchor from CNN's Washington, D.C., bureau.

Q: Why has there been so much opposition to the building of the World War II memorial on the National Mall?

MESERVE: The principal objection has been to its location. It's going to be located at the site of the Rainbow pool, which lies between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. It's a wide-open vista and is probably familiar to most Americans as the site of various celebrations and protests.

Opponents believe that this open space should be preserved. These critics also dislike the design of the World War II memorial. They feel that it is large. They feel that it is showy. They feel that it would be disruptive to the life of the National Mall. And so they have been fighting it for years in courts and in the court of public opinion.

Today, I spoke with one of the leaders of the National Coalition to Save our Mall, and she expressed disappointment that President Bush has signed several legislation that will allow construction to go forward. She also indicated that her group is consulting with its lawyers to see if there is further legal action that it can take. They believe that the legislation signed into law today preempts their court challenge to the siting of this memorial and they believe that it raises constitutional questions.

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Q: What will the proposed memorial look like?

MESERVE: As I mentioned, it will be sited between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. The existing Rainbow pool will be modified. Ground will slope down so that the main part of the memorial will be about six feet below street level. There will be a smaller Rainbow pool in the middle of that plaza. On either side of the plaza there will be arches. Those will rise 43 feet above street level. There will be a total of 56 columns flanking these two arches.

Q:Now that the President Bush has signed the bill, when will construction on the memorial start? When is the estimated date of completion?

MESERVE: Mike Conoly, a spokesman for the World War II memorial, says that the process for selecting a general contractor is still underway, but he hopes that construction can begin by late July. He estimates that it will be a 30-month project that should be completed and dedicated early in the year 2004.

Sixteen million men and women served during World War II. The Veteran's Administration estimates that five million of them are alive today but 1,100 pass away each day. So, the Veteran's Administration projects that no more and three and a half million will still be alive when this memorial is completed.

The total cost of construction will be 60 to 70 million dollars. But there have been many other costs involving site selection, the design competition and architectural designs. There will be future costs relating to maintenance and ceremonies here. The estimate is that when all is said and done, it will cost 160 million dollars. 150 million of that has been raised from the public.

Q: Do you have any final thoughts to share?

MESERVE: This is a beautiful site. I am standing here and when I look in one direction I see this lovely expanse of water with the Lincoln Memorial rising in the distance.

After all the controversy and the court challenges and the genuine bad feeling that appears to exist, I think Washington is waiting with curiosity to see exactly what this will contribute to what is, in essence, the national town commons.