Who designed / built the Vietnam wall?

Question

Who designed / built the Vietnam wall?

Answer 1

The original design was by Maya Lin and changes were made to it.  A lot of controversies revolved around the design of the Vietnam Memorial Wall.

Check out this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_Vet...

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

"The Memorial Wall was designed by U.S. architect Maya Lin. The typesetting was performed by Datalantic in Atlanta, Georgia."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_Wal...

Answer 3

Hopefully this will help you !

WHO DESIGNED THE (WALL) MEMORIAL?

The Memorial (wall) was designed by an undergraduate at Yale University, Maya Ying Lin, born in Athens, Ohio in 1959. Her parents fled from China in 1949 when Mao-Tse-tung took control of China, and she is a native-born American citizen. She acted as a consultant with the architectural firm of Cooper- Lecky Partnership on the construction of the Memorial.

WHAT WAS MAYA YING LIN'S CONCEPT OF THE MEMORIAL?

She wanted to create a park within a park - a quiet protected place onto itself, yet harmonious with the overall plan of Constitution Gardens. The walls have a mirror-like surface (polished black granite) reflecting the images of the surrounding trees, lawns, monuments, and visitors. The walls seem to stretch into the distance, directing us towards the Washington Monument, in the east, and the Lincoln Memorial, to the west, thus bring the Vietnam Veterans Memorial into a historical context.

DOES MAYA YING LIN'S NAME APPEAR ANYWHERE ON THE MEMORIAL?

Yes, it does, along with the names of the officers of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, architects, etc., on a panel at the apex of the curb along the top of the Memorial.

WHO DESIGNED THE SCULPTURE?

In July 1982, VVMF selected Washington sculptor Frederic Hart, born in 1943, Atlanta, Georgia. He was the highest ranking sculptor in the design competition. His sculpture depicts "Three Servicemen" (also referred to as "Three Fighting Men" or "Three Infantrymen"). Mr. Hart's slightly larger than life-size sculpture was cast in bronze by Joel Meisner and Company Foundry during the summer of 1984. A process called 'patina' produced a rich variety of subtle color variations. The figures are young, wear uniforms, and carry the equipment of war. The statues show the men as "emerging out of the woods, looking vulnerable and alone". They look directly towards the apex of the wall, located approximately 150 feet away. The figures were unveiled on November 8, 1984. Mr. Hart received $330,000 for his work.

WHO FORMED THE IDEA OF THE VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL?

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was founded by Jan Scruggs, who served in Vietnam (in the 199th Light Infantry Brigade) from 1969-1970 as a infantry corporal. He wanted the memorial to acknowledge and recognize the service and sacrifice of all who served in Vietnam. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Inc. (VVMF), a nonprofit charitable organization, was incorporated on April 27, 1979, by a group of Vietnam veterans (John Wheeler, Chairman of the Board for VVMF, served in Vietnam as a captain at U.S. Army headquarters from 1969-1970; Robert Doubek, VVMF project director, then executive director, served in Vietnam from 1968-1969 as an Air Force intelligence officer) in Washington, D.C. Jan Scruggs (President of VVMF) lobbied Congress for a two acre plot of land in the Constitution Gardens. Significant initial support came from U.S. Senators Charles McC. Mathias, Jr. (on November 8, 1979, Senator Mathias introduced legislation to authorize a site of national parkland for the Memorial) of Maryland and John W. Warner (Senator Warner launched the first significant financial contributions to the national fund raising campaign) of Virginia. On July 1, 1980, in the Rose Garden, President Jimmy Carter signed the legislation (P.L. 96-297) to provide a site in Constitution Gardens near the Lincoln Memorial. It was a three and half year task to build the memorial and to orchestrate a celebration to salute those who served in Vietnam.

WHAT IS THE OFFICIAL NAME OF THE MEMORIAL?

"The official name of the Memorial is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. It is sometimes referred to as VVM or "the Wall". The figures are called "The Three Servicemen". This is not a war Memorial but a Memorial to those who served in the war, both living and dead.

WHEN DID CONSTRUCTION BEGIN?

On March 11, 1982, the design and plans received final Federal approval, and work at the site was begun on March 16, 1982. Groundbreaking took place on March 26, 1982. The Gilbane Building Company acted as the general contractor, and the architectural firm of Cooper-Lecky Partnership supervised the construction. The Memorial (wall) was completed in late October and dedicated on November 13, 1982, climaxing a week- long salute to Vietnam veterans.

WHEN WAS THE MEMORIAL COMPLETED?

The walls and landscaping were completed by November 1, 1982. On November 11, 1984, all three units (the wall, the statue, and the flag) were combined. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Inc. (VVMF) officially transferred control of the Memorial to the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior and it became a national monument. The now completed Vietnam Veterans Memorial was accepted by the President of the United States on November 10, 1984

WHO PAID FOR THE MEMORIAL?

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Inc. (VVMF) raised nearly $9,000,000 entirely through private contributions from corporations, foundations, unions, veterans and civic organizations and more than 275,000 individual Americans. No Federal funds were needed.

WHAT WERE THE CRITERIA REQUIRED FOR THE DESIGN?

There were four:

1. be reflective and contemplative in character;

2. harmonize with its surroundings;

3. contain the names of those who had died in the conflict or who were still missing;

4. make no political statement about the war.

HOW WAS THE WINNING DESIGN CHOSEN?

VVMF announced in October, 1980, that the Memorial's design would be selected through a national design competition open to any U.S. citizen 18 years of age or older. By December 29, 1980, 2,573 individuals and teams had applied for registration forms. By the deadline of March 31, 1981, 1,421 design entries had been submitted. All entries were judged anonymously by a jury of eight internationally recognized artists and designers, who had been selected by VVMF. The winning design was chosen on May 1, 1981. The designs were displayed at an airport hangar at Andrews Air Force Base for the selection committee, in rows covering more than 35,000 square feet of floor space. Each entry was identified by number only, to preserve the anonymity of their authors. All entries were examined by each juror; the entries were narrowed down to 232, finally 39. The jury selected Entry Number 1026 as it clearly met the spirit and formal requirements of the program. They felt its open nature would encourage access on all occasions, at all hours, without barriers, and yet free the visitors from the noise and traffic of the surrounding city.

WHO DID THE JUDGING OF THE DESIGN ENTRIES?

The judges included two landscape architects, two structural architects, an expert on urban development and landscape, and three sculptors. Pietro Belluschi, architect; Grady Clay, author; Garrett Eckbo, landscape architect; Richard H. Hunt, sculptor; Constantino Nivola, sculptor; James Rosati, sculptor; Hideo Sasaki, landscape architect; and Harry Weese, architect. Paul D. Spreiregen served as competition professional adviser.

WHAT WERE THE WINNING PRIZES?

Prizes totalling $50,000 were awarded to the winning designs. The designer of the winning entry also received a commission to assist the Architect of Record in developing the design for construction.