Retired Senior Master Sergeant of the U.S. Air Force, Harry F. Miller honorably served the United States from World War II through the Vietnam War. Over the course of his more than twenty-year career in the military, Miller experienced “The Battle of the Bulge,” tours in Vietnam, Korea and Japan, the Cuban Missle Crisis and so much in between.
Read MoreAs the Founder and Chairman of the commercial real estate firm bearing his name, John “Chip” Akridge is an innovator in the industry, a committed advocate of community initiatives in the Washington, D.C. region, and a dedicated supporter of philanthropic and charitable organizations. He has served as a member of the Economic Development and Executive Committees of the Federal City Council, and as chairman of the Greater Washington Board of Trade’s Emergency Preparedness Task Force. He has received numerous industry awards and is a strong advocate for the environment. He has served on the boards of leading environmental nonprofits and various agencies of the city government. Chip is a Distinguished Eagle Scout and a Vietnam veteran.
We talked with Chip about his own experience as a veteran, what he hopes visitors take away from their visits to the memorials, and what he wants to share with those who can’t be here in person.
Read MoreWe asked a select group of veterans -- some of whom are in our volunteer corps -- to share stories about their service to the nation and how their acts and views of service have evolved over time. They share a range of experiences and their personal perspectives on what the memorials on the National Mall mean to them, and what they hope others will find when they visit these special, iconic places. By bringing their stories to our readers, we hope you will be inspired to learn more about their lives and to learn more about the veterans in your own lives who have stories to share.
Read MoreBy Eleanor Gibson, dezeen
A bridge to the White House and man-made islands are among the conceptual proposals five architecture studios have developed for preserving Washington DC's Tidal Basin reservoir and the National Mall.
DLANDstudio, GGN, James Corner Field Operations, Hood Design Studio and Reed Hilderbrand all created schemes to reimagine the site for Tidal Basin Ideas Lab – organised by National Trust for Historic Preservation, Trust for the National Mall, the National Park Service and architecture firm SOM.
Read MoreBy Kat Barandy, designboom
With the ‘Tidal Basin Ideas Lab’ exhibition, a team of designers unveil proposals to reimagine the sinking tidal basin at Washington D.C.’s National Mall. The team includes leading landscape architects DLANDstudio, GGN,Hood Design Studio, James CornerField Operations, and Reed Hilderbrand. the area includes memorials to Thomas Jefferson, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and martin Luther king jr. as nearly 1.5 million people walk along the basin’s rim during the annual cherry blossom festival each spring, the increased car and foot traffic have driven parts of the tidal basin area underwater while the walkways flood daily.
Read MoreBy Elizabeth Fazzare, Architectural Digest
Home to some of the nation’s most iconic monuments, Washington, D.C.’s Tidal Basin—the man-made reservoir adjacent to the National Mall—currently suffers from crumbling seawall infrastructure and twice-daily flooding. Today the National Trust for Historic Preservation; the Trust for the National Mall; the National Park Service; Skidmore, Owings & Merrill; and American Express unveiled the Tidal Basin Ideas Lab to address these issues through design.
Read MoreAt a Distance, Episode 85, October 22, 2020
Walter Hood, founder and creative director of Hood Design Studio and co-author of the forthcoming book “Black Landscapes Matter,” talks with us about how his new proposal for Washington, D.C.’s National Mall Tidal Basin could facilitate unity, why spaces that elicit discomfort are a step toward reconciliation, and the importance of investing in people and places that society takes for granted.
Read MoreBy Madeleine D’Angelo, Architect Magazine, October 21, 2020
The Tidal Basin on the National Mall is home to some of Washington D.C.'s iconic monuments—including the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial—as well as 3,000 famed cherry trees. But a crumbling sea wall and daily flooding—which will only become worse with sea-level rise due to climate change—have left the area in desperate need of both repair and future-proofing. Aiming to find design solutions for the 107-acre site, the National Trust for Historic Preservation partnered with the Trust for the National Mall, the National Park Service, and civic partners Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and American Express, to launch the Tidal Basin Ideas Lab Exhibition.
Read MoreBy Matt Hickman, The Architect’s Newspaper
The Tidal Basin Ideas Lab, a project initiated by a collaboration of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Trust for the National Mall, National Park Service, and civic partner Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), has unveiled a new online exhibition that envisions how the National Mall Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C., can evolve, adapt, and thrive while buttressing itself for a future increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of a changing climate.
Read MoreBy Elliot C. Williams, DCist
On Wednesday, a combination of non-profit organizations, companies, and design teams launched the Tidal Basin Ideas Lab, an online exhibit that presents new plans for building a more sustainable Tidal Basin.
Originally intended to be an in-person exhibit, the project was shifted completely online, where visitors can submit feedback and ideas for the Tidal Basin’s future.
Read MoreBy Mimi Montgomery, Washingtonian
Could there one day be a land bridge extending from the Jefferson Memorial through the Tidal Basin?
Perhaps, at least according to the Tidal Basin Ideas Lab, which released renderings from five architects that depict possible renovations of the historic area. The Ideas Lab aims to address the Tidal Basin’s flooding and deteriorating infrastructure by bringing design and sustainability leaders together to collaborate on solutions.
Read MoreBy Deane Madsen, published by Architectural Record
The saying goes that a rising tide lifts all boats, but what happens to national monuments, environmental landmarks, and other fixed elements of landscape when the waters rise and refuse to recede? That question is at the crux of the Tidal Basin Ideas Lab, which showcases the work of five firms, commissioned by the National Park Service, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Trust for the National Mall.left unaddressed, rising waters could inundate the trunks of those cherry trees along with monuments to figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., Thomas Jefferson, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt in several feet of water every day during the river’s twice-daily high tides.
Read MoreBy Nate Berg, published by Fast Company
The roots of Washington, D.C.’s iconic cherry trees are rotting. At the National Mall Tidal Basin, where cherry trees line the water’s edge amid some of the country’s most famous monuments, sea-level rise and riverine flooding threaten not just tree roots but a landscape inextricably tied to the history of the United States. If the situation is left unaddressed, rising waters could inundate the trunks of those cherry trees along with monuments to figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., Thomas Jefferson, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt in several feet of water every day during the river’s twice-daily high tides.
Read MoreA partnership between the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Trust for the National Mall, and the National Park Service, alongside civic partner Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), The Tidal Basin Ideas Lab is an urgent call to action to address the pressing need for critical repairs and improvements, including a crumbling sea wall and daily flooding, taking into consideration environment, culture and visitor experience. The project marks a critical juncture for the landscape of the nation’s capital, envisioning and reshaping a deeply symbolic and beloved public space that communicates the history, values, and aspirations of the country.
Read MoreInitiated by the Trust for the National Mall and the National Trust for Historic Preservation together with the National Park Service alongside civic partner Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), and American Express, the proposals respond to daily flooding and crumbling infrastructure that threaten the sustainability of Washington, D.C.’s 107-acre site.
Read MoreThis was new territory for us: we wanted to do more than create an online version of our beloved annual gala. Our goal was to take this opportunity to bring a positive, inclusive experience to viewers all across the country for a shared celebration of what this symbol of America means to so many. Thank you for helping us make this goal a reality.
Read MoreBy Micheal E. Ruane, Washington Post
“New stables have been on the Park Service wish list for 10 years, officials said. But it was not until the project caught the eye of the Trust for the National Mall, the Mall’s nonprofit fundraising partner, that it took off…”
Read MoreBy Rob Woodfork, WTOP
“A nonprofit organization broke ground Thursday for a new, state-of-the-art horse stable for U.S. Park Police mounted patrols and an education center on the National Mall.
The Trust for the National Mall spearheaded the effort to build the facility on the site of the current stable, which sits between the Korean War Veterans Memorial and the D.C. War Memorial.”
Read More
