Restoring the Nighttime Lighting
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Archival photo showing the lighting design for the Room 4 fountain.
The FDR Memorial was designed to be most magnificent at night. Memorial designer Lawrence Halprin envisioned it as an outdoor museum where dramatic, carefully choreographed lighting would work together with the Memorial’s art, fountains, landscape, and inscriptions to create a powerful experience for visitors.
Today, much of that original lighting no longer functions as designed, reducing illumination in significant areas of the Memorial after sunset.
Thanks to seed funding from the Judy and Peter Kovler Foundation, the FDR Memorial Foundation, in cooperation with the National Park Service, is helping to bring the Memorial’s nighttime experience back to life.
We are especially fortunate to be working with two lighting design experts who helped bring Halprin’s vision for the Memorial to life– Patrick Quigley, the Memorial’s original lighting designer, and Erin Erdman who worked with Quigley during its construction. Both are now engaged in the project, making this a meaningful opportunity to help restore an important part of their work and legacy at this presidential memorial.
With the lighting infrastructure now approaching 30 years old, and trees and vegetation obscuring some of the lighting, addressing the larger system will take time and significant resources. Our goal is ambitious: to restore the Memorial’s nighttime experience, make it a safe and compelling destination after dark, and develop a plan for ongoing lighting repairs and maintenance.
It is a long-term effort, but an important one in ensuring that Halprin’s vision for the Memorial can continue to be experienced by visitors for generations to come.
Stay tuned for updates as this exciting project moves forward.