§8905 Site and Design Approval

Summary

Sponsors who are allowed to build a memorial in Washington, D.C., and nearby must first talk with the National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission about different sites and design ideas. After that talk, the Secretary of the Interior or the General Services Administrator must send the chosen site and design to the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission for their approval. When deciding, those agencies must favor sites that relate to the memorial’s subject, avoid crowding or harming existing memorials, protect open space and public uses, use long-lasting materials and climate‑appropriate landscaping, and follow any site‑specific rules the two commissions agree on. Memorials that are mainly museums cannot go on Secretary‑controlled land in Area I or in East Potomac Park. The Secretary or the Administrator may allow donor recognition at a memorial. Any donor credit must be inside an associated building or part of a manmade landscape feature and must follow Park Service or GSA rules. The credit must be a brief, freestanding acknowledgement, not attached to landscape features or museum objects, can be displayed for up to 10 years based on contribution level, and the sponsor pays the cost. These rules apply to memorials dedicated after January 1, 2010.