§8905 Site and design approval

Summary

Sponsors who want to build a commemorative work in Washington, D.C. must first talk with the National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission about possible sites and designs. After that, the Secretary of the Interior or the Administrator of General Services must send the sponsor’s site and design plans to the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission for their approval. When deciding, those agencies must try to place the work where it relates to the subject, avoid harming or crowding existing memorials, protect open space and public use and natural or cultural resources, use long‑lasting materials, and choose landscaping that fits the climate. A memorial that is mainly a museum cannot be placed on lands the Secretary manages in Area I or in East Potomac Park. The two commissions can agree on extra rules for specific sites. The Secretary or Administrator may allow a sponsor to recognize donors at the memorial, but such acknowledgments must follow National Park Service or GSA rules. They must appear inside an associated building or as part of a manmade landscape element, be a short credit, follow display guidelines, be freestanding, not attached to landscape features or museum objects, and can be shown for up to 10 years based on the gift size. The sponsor pays all costs. These rules apply to memorials dedicated after January 1, 2010.