West Potomac Park in Southwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
A Carefully Crafted Image
Prologue
— Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial —
Photographed By Shane Oliver, May 5, 2022
1. A Carefully Crafted Image Marker
The original 1997 memorial barely hinted at Franklin Roosevelt's paralyzed legs - much as FDR had during his Presidency. Roosevelt's battle with polio was not a secret. The president worried that if people knew he was unable to walk, his opponents could portray him as too weak for office. Years before live video, the press agreed not to report on FDR using a wheelchair or aides carrying the president.
"Franklin's illness…gave him strength and courage he had not had before. He had to think out the fundamentals of living and learn the greatest of all lessons-infinite patience and never ending persistence."
Eleanor Roosevelt
[Caption:]
These hand sketches (right)appear on the back of the FDR statue in the Prologue. FDR believed a standard 1920s wheelchair was too bulky, so he designed his own. He oversaw the construction of his wheelchair, created by adding wheels to a kitchen chair.
[Tactile exhibit text:]
FDR Sculpture
FDR tried to keep his use of a wheelchair from the public. Disability rights advocates, including the National Organization on Disability, successfully lobbied President Bill Clinton and Congress to add this explicit portrayal in 2001. The new statue depicted FDR as his family
this page online
Erected 2022 by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Government & Politics. In addition, it is included in the Eleanor Roosevelt, the Former U.S. Presidents: #32 Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the Former U.S. Presidents: #42 William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1997.
Location. 38° 53.029′ N, 77° 2.655′ W. Marker is in Southwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in West Potomac Park. Marker is on Ohio Drive Southwest south of West Basin Drive Southwest, on the right when traveling north. The marker is located on the grounds of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, a sprawling 7.5 acre memorial managed by the National Park Service. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1850 W Basin Dr SW, Washington DC 20418, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Nothing to Fear… (within shouting distance of this marker); Combatting Economic Depression (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial (about 400 feet away); Canada's Gift to the United States (about 400 feet away);
Photographed By Shane Oliver, May 5, 2022
2. A Carefully Crafted Image Marker Tactile Exhibit
More about this marker. Marker contains text in braille, for quotes featured throughout the memorial.
Photographed By Shane Oliver, June 3, 2019
3. FDR Memorial Prologue Room
Photographed By Shane Oliver, May 5, 2022
4. A Carefully Crafted Image Marker
Photographed By Shane Oliver, June 3, 2019
5. FDR Memorial Prologue Wheelchair Rear View
Photographed By Shane Oliver, May 5, 2022
6. FDR Memorial Map
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 10, 2022, by Shane Oliver of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 168 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on May 10, 2022, by Shane Oliver of Richmond, Virginia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
