Design chosen for Eisenhower Memorial

WASHINGTON, March 26 (UPI) -- Architect Frank Gehry's design for a memorial to 34th U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower will mix traditional and contemporary elements, commission members say.

The 12 members of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission have selected a preliminary design concept that is the most elaborate of the three that Gehry submitted, The Washington Posts reports.

The commission's executive architect, Daniel J. Fell, says the Eisenhower Memorial in the nation's capital won't be anything like Gehry's signature works -- design of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, or the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Instead, Gehry has proposed creating an "Eisenhower Square" with huge limestone columns on the 4-acre parcel just south of the National Mall.

The interior of the square will be filled with a grove of large oak trees and a semicircular space with stone blocks.

The most intriguing part of his design are three huge tapestries made of woven metal, the Post says.

Design plans for the memorial were announced Thursday