An Imaginary Tour of Pennsylvania Avenue

Pennsylvania Avenue Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial

In the northwest corner of the National Archives grounds, at 9^th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, you stop to read a marble block in a small grassy plot: "In Memory of Franklin Delano Roosevelt 1882-1945." He is the only President to serve more than two 4-year terms in office. He was elected and re-elected four times. This marble block is the only memorial in the city to President Roosevelt (although a larger memorial is being planned). The President once said he only wanted a memorial marker about the size of his desk, and that is what this marble block is.

For many years, this marble block, sitting on the west corner of the National Archives grounds, was the only memorial to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, President of the United States from 1933 to 1945. A more fitting memorial was dedicated on May 2, 1997: the expansive, multi-chambered Franklin Delano Roosevelt Basin near the Jefferson Memorial.

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