Close to Home: Roosevelt Island

December 03, 2013 • Leave a Comment

Roosevelt Island is one of the most interesting places in Washington D.C. when it comes to unusual perspectives. First of all, while taking a stroll or even a run across the island, it is big enough to really get the illusory feeling of being a distance from the city, being somewhere off in the woods. Then, when you glimpse through the trees, over the river you´ll see familiar sights, but from an angle that doesn´t seem right. Actually there are only three basic perspectives. Looking west, away from D.C. into Virginia, onto the Rosslyn corporate buildings wall, looking north at the Georgetown Waterfront, and looking east toward the Watergate and the Kennedy Center. On the north end lies the actual attraction of the island, the Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt Memorial. Of all the presidential Memorials this is the most remote and hidden one. It´s not visible from anywhere on the mainland, concealed by the dense trees of the island. This only underlines Roosevelts close relation to nature, very appropiate for the outdoor guy that he was. He laid out plans for conservation, thinking that a National Park System was the best way of protecting nature and natural wonders from overuse and exploitation. Think of it: This came at a time when the country and the world had other priorities, nature conservation was revolutionary without anybody knowing it. At the same time Roosevelt fell for the racist notions of the time, thinking that „...not all dead indians are good indians, but nine out of ten are...“, or „...not been able to think out any solution of the terrible problem offered by the presence of the Negro on this continent...“ This is very surprising coming from a man who was so very open for new ideas and progressive thoughts, and who admired everything and everyone who could stand up to the toughest challenge in his mind: the survival in nature. I´m sure that he kept working on himself and always tried to make the best out of what he had. During his presidency he appointed numerous African Americans to federal office. He definetely was one of the most polemical presidents. One of his most famous achievements, out of the many that he had, is probably the final implementation and completion of the Panama Canal. The Americans had seized the construction area, bought out the french infrastructure, heavily and succesfully supported the panamaian independence movement against Colombia, all in order to establish their permanent presence at this geostrategically important location up to this day.

I guess I´m wandering away too much. But things get very historic and interesting when one deals with him. Roosevelt. Very polarizing character. Another fascinating fact about his life is the attempted assassination on his life in 1912. At a campaigning stop in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he was shot at, but the bullet went through his steel eyeglass case and a 50 page speech manuscript before entering his chest. As he didn´t cough up blood, he didn´t see any reason to go to the hospital immediately, and delivered a 90 minute speech before he let the doctors see him.

Wandering again. This is an article about Roosevelt Island, not so much about the man. So, one last thing about the memorial itself. It was officially opened in 1967 after a long planning time and fundraising which took three decades. The result is a monumental statue and it really reminds me of soviet era memorials that I saw back in my Moscow days. Compared to the other Washington D.C. Memorials, especially the presidential ones, I think this one is the weakest in expression and design. Nevertheless, the whole memorial grounds with the statue, the monoliths and fountains, is a peaceful place. A place to rest and contemplate. Maybe about „Teddy“ and his impact on the american idea.