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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThere are 24 steps in the process of building a memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
Well, actually, there are 24 official steps.
We’re not even talking about the hours of work and planning and designing and fundraising that must go into the effort before a group can even start the official process.
The entire thing can take years. In truth, there’s no way it won’t take years. You have to find a member of Congress to sponsor authorizing legislation—then actually get the law passed. There’s a lot more fund-raising, designing the memorial and getting that design approved, finding a site and getting that site approved.
We’re exhausted just thinking about it.
That’s why we’re so impressed with the work Indianapolis-based CSO Architects has done to try to bring a National Desert Storm and Desert Shield Memorial from concept to reality.
As you’ll read in a front-page story by IBJ reporter Susan Orr, the organizer of the project got in touch with CSO’s Tim Jeffers, an Iraq war veteran, early in the process, when the memorial was little more than a concept and needed a design to capture the attention of funders, lawmakers and regulators.
That was 2012. And for the next four years, CSO worked pro bono with the organizers to bring the memorial to life. Today—as the organizers pass step 15 of 24—CSO is charging the group a reduced rate for its services.
During that time, the design has actually changed considerably. As Orr reports, the memorial’s location meant it had to become more of a landscape design than a building design, which means a Philadelphia landscape design firm has taken more of a lead on the project, although CSO and another local design firm—Context—remain involved.
CSO principal Randy Schumacher has been the firm’s lead on the project and told Orr that it’s “the most important thing I’ll ever do, as an architect and as an American.”
We find that refreshing and inspiring. And at this holiday season, we want to thank CSO for its work on this project and hope the firm will serve as encouragement to others who want to jump into something that might seem daunting at the beginning.
Of course, we know CSO is one of many companies across central Indiana donating services and money to help great causes.
We have tried to highlight much of that work in a series of special sections throughout 2019 called Impact Indiana. You can read those stories, columns and Q&As at IBJ.com/Impact-Indiana. The series will return next year, and we look forward to sharing more stories of the great work Indianapolis-area companies are doing.•
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