Whose Design Is It Anyway?: The Role of the Jury in the Korean War Veterans Memorial Competition

Nineteen larger-than-life-size soldiers outfitted in full military gear march toward a flagpole on the National Mall in Washington, DC, in determined pursuit of an unidentified mission. The Korean War Veterans Memorial honors those who served in that war, and also includes a black granite wall with photographic images of military support staff and a commemorative pool of water. Completed in 1995, the memorial is the outcome of a 1989 design competition. It is not, however, the memorial that was selected as the winner. In fact, the memorial––as built––barely resembles the chosen design. Long after the winner of the formal design competition was announced, intervening agencies vied to define or influence the memorial’s central concept. Both the advisory board and self-appointed jury consisted of retired military personnel, all of whom were Korean War veterans. Their oversight of the project prompted debate, resulting in a contentious lawsuit between the designers, the architects and the advisory board. In the end, it was the advisory board and its vision for the memorial (not that of the architects) that prevailed. This presentation examines how this jury of military personnel shaped the content and appearance of the memorial, transforming a march of soldiers into an active battle scene. Highlighting the influence of the sponsoring agency throughout the process offers an illuminating perspective on how this outcome might have been avoided.