Design Competition and Site Selection On Veterans Day in 2002, the Foundation launched a design competition, inviting 20 architecture and landscape architecture firms to participate. The following July, the Foundation selected the design of Michael Vergason Landscape Architects, based in Alexandria, Virginia. Vergason— whose work can be seen at the National Cathedral; the U.S. Supreme Court; Monticello; the U.S. Cemetery at Omaha Beach in Normandy, France; and his alma mater, the University of Virginia— envisioned a hallowed place amid the bustle of the city. His design would allow disabled veterans, their loved ones and caretakers a place for commemoration and quiet reflection within a grove of trees framed by granite and glass walls, punctuated by a ceremonial flame and a reflecting pool. The design was beautiful and accomplished the three main goals the Foundation had set out in the competition brief. First, to create a memorial that was an aĠ rmative and serious expression of gratitude for the sacrifice of disabled veterans— a solid, permanent presence in the heart of the nation’s capital. Additionally, the memorial would educate the public about the depth and breadth of the sacrifices made by disabled veterans. And finally, the Foundation stated, the project should serve as “a reminder to lawmakers of the human cost of conflict.” That last brief was vital. Proximity to the U.S. Capitol— a constant reminder to lawmakers of veterans and their issues— was one of the primary motivations for selecting a site. In 2001, the Foundation submitted a report analyzing six potential locations. Of those, the Foundation’s top recommendation was a 2.4-acre triangular site between Washington Avenue, C Street and Second Street SW, adjacent to Bartholdi Park. The site was preferred for its views of the Capitol; additionally, a memorial there would enhance an open space, allowing for maximum public use, and would not encroach on existing commemorative works. Further, the site opens to the larger city, passed by some 45,000 cars each day, and is along a regular route for Capitol Hill staĞers who move among federal oĠ ce buildings each day. This confluence was seen as an asset, not a liability, as the constant movement around the site would activate the Memorial and, for those passing it every day, would serve as a constant reminder of the issues it invokes. On August 30, 2001, the National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission, on behalf of the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, approved the site. Final site approval was granted before the end of the year by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission. Early studies by Michael Vergason Landscape Architects surveyed the site’s relationship to the U.S. Capitol and other national monuments. 18 The History