Walk Through History at the FDR Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Walking about Washington, D.C., you are surrounded by large, granite monuments and memorials to the people and events of our nation’s history. But one memorial takes a simpler approach.

When you visit the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, you stroll through the life of the 32nd president. Divided into four rooms, one for each of his elected terms as president, the memorial is a modern approach to telling a story through words, water features, and statuary.

An Unusual Setting

Unlike others, the FDR Memorial doesn’t stand as a monolith; it sprawls among the mature trees of Washington’s Tidal Basin. It covers more than seven acres, the largest footprint of any memorial on the National Mall.

When you come upon this red granite memorial, you notice how it blends subtly with the landscape.  You find Roosevelt seated in his self-designed wheelchair made from a kitchen chair with wheels attached. He concealed his use of a wheelchair from the public during his life. But today, a statue depicts the true nature of his disability.

The Four Rooms of the FDR Memorial

Enter the first room, dedicated to FDR’s first term, when the nation was deeply engrossed in the Great Depression of the 1930s. A waterfall represents the tumbling American economy. His words, “The Only Thing We Have To Fear Is Fear Itself,” are carved into the granite. You feel how our nation was in economic shambles.

People line up for bread in the second room, which focuses on his second term. A third of the nation was unemployed at the time, and Roosevelt faced the challenge of getting help to the millions in desperate need. Another statue depicts a man listening to the radio, FDR’s means of communicating his solutions to the crisis to Americans. The programs of the New Deal are also displayed.

Room three takes us to World War Two. You feel the destruction as the red granite is scattered. Water pours over displaced rock. The world is in turmoil, and FDR faces a second great challenge, bringing an end to the war. 

The fourth room ends as abruptly as FDR’s fourth term in office. A horse-drawn caisson bearing his casket sits over a calm water feature, signifying his early death. But the story doesn’t end there. We come upon Eleanor Roosevelt, the only First Lady memorialized in Washington, D.C. It honors her as America’s first United Nations delegate.

Parting Message

As we leave the memorial, Franklin Roosevelt sits magnificently beside his Scottish Terrier, Fala. It’s a place to reflect on his parting words: “Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want, Freedom from Fear.”