Kahn's monument to President Roosevelt in New York

Last Monday, the American magazine Architectural Record reported on its website that one of the last designs by architect Louis I. Kahn should soon be completed. Specifically, this concerns a monument to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, which Kahn designed in 1973 for the southern tip of Roosevelt Island located on the New York East River. The monument consists of an elevated lawn lined with two rows of trees and a granite staircase. The narrowing island culminates in a granite wall. From here, one can see the United Nations building, which Roosevelt helped to establish. The granite walls of the monument, construction of which began in 1980 but was soon halted due to financial reasons, are to bear Roosevelt's speech "Four Freedoms."
According to Gina Pollara, director of the “Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial - Four Freedoms Park,” who views everything positively, she claims that only “planting the trees and laying the granite blocks” remains. However, it is not that simple, as the necessary funding is still lacking, which FERI (Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute) has been striving for since the 1960s. In June, the new governor of New York, Eliot Spitzer, also expressed his support for the project. The project has already received $2.5 million from anonymous donors. However, the total costs are estimated at $40 million. FERI is also under pressure from developers who would like to invest in the land that the institute owns. The New York office of WRT Planning & Design already has plans prepared for the first development phase. The fate of the entire monument depends on financial donations. If funds are not secured within a year, it may remain forever just on paper. Gina Pollara adds: “Roosevelt Island was named that because a monument was to be built here. Many people today do not even know who Roosevelt was; however, his concept of freedom is more relevant today than ever.” Link>