1025 yards….a matter of interpretation at World War II Memorial
The first thing people ask at the World War II Memorial is where they can get some more information besides the little pamphlet. I am not the only person behind the movment to make the “building” South of the Memorial capable of selling a few interpretive items. These items are what the NPS likes to call “site-specific” and would give the many (20 million??) visitors an opportunity to bring something home of their experience. The nominees are:
National Park Service Book
Their Last Battle: The Fight for the National World War II
One Soldier’s Story: A Memoir by Bob Dole
There’s a lot of material written about WWII but these seven items are specifically about the development of the Memorial. Senator Dole raised the money. I’d also suggest bottled water. There are far smaller bookstores on the Mall and in fact, in front of the Lincoln, there are two wooden shacks (manned by some grizzled Vietnam Vets) which stand directly in the front of the Lincoln Memorial with the Washington in the backdrop…picture perfect!!!l What’s with that?????
At the WWII Memorial, there are four (actually six) windows on the Western side of the WWII Memorial building which could handle the sales of books and videos. The rangers would still have plenty of room to dispense information. Guest services handles several hundred items at the Lincoln South food court with far less space. I’ll bet it would be some competition between Eastern Naiional and Guest Services as to who gets that little space, currently the most expensive coat rack in history.
It’s a bit 1984 when the Associate Director of the National Park Service blithely writes off the idea and I quote: “With respect to your request that we consider a sales outlet at the WWII Memorial, we do not have plans for opening one in the near future, as adequate opportunities for interpretive sales exist nearby.”
The nearest bookstore to the Memorial is exactly .58 miles or 1025 yards away. I’ll bet you that he took one of those little carts in his quest for “nearby” interpretive opportunities” AS you can see below, you have to cross 17th Street, go up the hill past the Washington Monument and then down to the equally small Washington Monument bookstore.