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REPORT OF THE ARCHITECT ON THE PRELIMINARY DESIGN FOR A MEMORIAL ON THE POTOMAC PARK SITE
HENRY BACON, Detigner
The Lincoln Memorial Commission.
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I believe design A to be the best one of those I have submitted, for the following reasons: The power of impression by an object of reverence and honor is greatest when it is secluded and isolated, for then, in quiet and without distraction of the senses or mind, the beholder is alone with the lesson the object is designed to teach and inspire, and will be subject to its meaning.
This principle of seclusion is an old one. At the height of achievement in Greece was found the Athena in the Parthenon and one of the seven wonders of the world was placed within the temple of Zeus at Olympia.
By having the statue sheltered and secluded within a hall the lighting can be so arranged that it will be constant, the statue can be sculptured in marble, and it can be seen at all times to the best advantage. These are important factors in the success of the sculptor's work. Enshrined as a precious object, the statue would always be seen under ideal conditions and its effectiveness would be superlative. On the other hand, a statue exposed to the elements would be seen to great disadvantage during inclement weather, and, owing to the constantly changing light, would not always be seen to the best advantage even during fine weather.
The design of the Lincoln Memorial, by withdrawing into the seclusion of a memorial hall the statue of Lincoln and memorials of his two great speeches, and by placing this hall, expressing by its exterior the Union, in the seclusion of an area surrounded by groves of trees, bordered by the Potomac and related to the Monument to Washington, will have, I believe, the profoundest significance.
Respectfully submitted.
Henry Bacon.
March 22, 1912.