Construction for the New Eisenhower Memorial is Underway Published August 2, 2019 • Updated on February 13, 2020 at 4:13 pm 10 photos 1/10 Eisenhower Memorial Commission 2/10 After 20 years in the making, the Eisenhower Memorial is set to open on May 8, 2020. 3/10 The project took two decades to get started because of disagreements on what the memorial should look like, officials said. WRC-TV 4/10 The memorial aims to honor former President Dwight D. Eisenhower's legacy as a president and as a general. WRC-TV 5/10 Workers on the project carve a speech into the stone memorial. WRC-TV 6/10 NBC Washington Each letter on the memorial must be hand cut, and the process must be repeated for more than 4000 letters. WRC-TV 7/10 The memorial will be the size of two football fields, officials said. WRC-TV 8/10 Wires will be strung in between cables to create a work of art that shows the cliffs of Normandy as a nod to the D-Day landing and Eisenhower's leadership, officials said. WRC-TV 9/10 Visitors can expect the space to be filled with trees, benches and an outdoor park for people to relax. WRC-TV 10/10 "We're hoping to lift the prominence of Eisenhower in young people's study of American history," Eisenhower Memorial Commission Deputy Executive Director Victoria Tigwell said. More Photo Galleries See it: Harris' supporters' reactions at Howard U. election night watch party In Photos: Election Day 2024 Photos: Security heightened in DC on Election Day Photos: See dazzling looks from DC's High Heel Race 2024