Oral Histories

How the city is laid out and the freedom with which people can walk about and get close to the institutions here is truly a statement on our democracy.

People feel that [Washington] is one thing, not many things. It can be both federal and local, and I think the more that they work in tandem, the better.

The public’s contribution is vital. Even when those visions may be different than what the Commission ultimately may decide, it’s important to … listen and learn.

While we want to glorify our history and place monuments … that were attractive to the nation, we couldn't do things that undermined the quality of life in neighborhoods

We were trying to find our way, how to deal with Home Rule, how to deal with the Commission’s proper responsibilities, how to try to make the city better, but at the same time respect the city’s prerogatives.

We were very conscious and talked about it a lot that the beauty and the resources of the nation’s capital shouldn't be all centered on the National Mall but that the rest of the city should benefit from living here. That was definitely a big part of what we saw the Legacy Plan doing.

NCPC and GSA gave me the chance to have this tremendous insight into how Washington is laid out, who is where, [and] what trends exist…

Even the most outspoken detractors came to me and … said, ‘I didn’t understand the power of this [Vietnam Veterans Memorial]. I didn’t understand that it was going to be reflective, that I would see myself reflected in the names of the fallen.

You can change lots of things about the way the federal building is regarded, how its space is used, how it contributes to a city, and even how the employees feel about their jobs.

I hope that ... people cannot just see the past here, but they can see what the future could be in their communities.

Federal land cannot simply stand alone without being integrated into the people and the areas that are around it.

Our primary job was to figure out how to manage this giant balancing act between local and federal interests, between security, public access, and public spaces that should inspire people ... but that are also functional and accessible … to all...

The important thing the Commission needs to do is to not shy away when necessary for asserting federal interests. Because that’s really what distinguishes DC.

Once I started working at NCPC … I had a different perception of the city, and I really began to realize … what an important role that NCPC played in helping to keep it as a beautiful city.