The Jefferson Memorial, Washington DC
President Roosevelt was disappointed with the fact that there was not a memorial dedicated to the memory and accomplishments of Thomas Jefferson. Like Washington and Lincoln, Jefferson's impact on this country was monumental. His legacy can still be seen and felt in all
aspects of our lives. However, it would take another sixteen years for Roosevelt's disappointment to turn to delight. In 1934, Congress passed a Joint Resolution to establish a Thomas Jefferson Memorial Commission. The commission subsequently was given the authority to plan, design, and construct a memorial which was to be a tribute to Jefferson's many accomplishments: president, politician, architect, farmer, and educator. The commission was to be for foundation of the memorial in the same way Jefferson was the foundation for this country. The style would be one that Jefferson himself used for Monticello and the University of Virginia. It would be a circular domed design based upon the Pantheon in Rome, which Jefferson believed to be a perfect model of a circular building.
If you stand in Jefferson's footsteps, you will notice that he looks towards the Whitehouse through a gap where trees once stood. FDR ordered the trees chopped down to allow for a clear view to symbolize Jefferson's ever watching eye on the Presidency.