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Updated June 27, 2023
Temporary Commemorations on Federal Land in the District of
Columbia
The District of Columbia, especially the area around the
activities a year. While many of these activities are not
National Mall, is widely known for its monuments and
commemorative in nature (e.g., first amendment activities,
memorials. These permanent commemorative works, which
commercial film and photography, concerts, sports events,
are located on federal land, honor the military; arts, science,
festivals), others seek to temporarily place artwork or other
and culture; American history, symbols, and government;
commemorative elements on NPS land. Interested
international figures and events; former Presidents; and
applicants can submit permits up to one year in advance.
local history.
For more information on the NPS permitting process, see
https://www.nps.gov/nama/planyourvisit/
Permanent commemorative works (governed by the
permitsandreservations.htm.
Commemorative Works Act [CWA; 40 U.S.C. §§8901-
8909]) are not the only way that individuals, groups, and
Selected Examples of Past Temporary
events can be commemorated in Washington, DC. In the
Commemorations in the District of
years since Congress created the CWA, there have been
Columbia
several nonpermanent (temporary) commemorations
Since the enactment of the CWA in 1986, several
displayed in Washington, DC, some of them on the
temporary commemorations have been displayed in the
National Mall. Temporary commemorations potentially
District of Columbia, many on the National Mall. CRS
provide an opportunity to honor individuals, groups, and
research indicates that each was likely approved through the
events that might not otherwise be approved for a
NPS permitting process. Some selected examples on a
permanent commemorative work.
range of subjects include the AIDS Memorial Quilt (1987),
the Desert Shield/Desert Storm Victory Celebration (1991),
Authorizing Temporary Displays
Victims of COVID-19 (2021), and presidential dogs (2022),
Temporary commemorations on federal land in the District
as well as the planned Beyond Granite artwork installation
of Columbia can be authorized for display in two ways: a
(2023).
CWA provision that authorizes the Secretary of the Interior
(through the National Park Service [NPS]) to create a site to
AIDS Memorial Quilt
display a temporary commemorative work under certain
On October 11, 1987, the AIDS Memorial Quilt made its
circumstances; or the NPS event permit process.
first appearance on the National Mall. Envisioned as a
memorial to individuals who died in the AIDS epidemic,
CWA Temporary Site Designation
the quilt contained nearly 2,000 panels when it was
The CWA (40 U.S.C. §8907) allows for the designation of
unveiled in Washington, DC, and covered more ground
“a site where commemorative works may be displayed on a
than a football field. Figure 1 shows the AIDS Memorial
temporary basis” following a determination by the
Quilt on the Ellipse in 1989, during a subsequent visit to
Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the National
Washington, DC.
Capital Memorial Advisory Commission (NCMAC), that
such a site “is necessary to aid in the preservation of the
Figure 1. AIDS Memorial Quilt
limited amount of open space available to residents of, and
visitors to, the Nation’s Capital.” The Secretary must
submit a plan for the site to Congress at least 120 days
before the designation. The Department of the Interior
(S.Rept. 99-421, p. 10) stated that allowing a temporary site
designation “provides a non-structural alternative means of
recognizing persons and subjects important to the Nation
but which maybe more appropriately located permanently
at an area outside of the District of Columbia closely
associated with the person or event.”
Source: Smithsonian Institution Archives, “The AIDS Memorial Quilt
on the National Mal ,” December 17, 2020, at https://siarchives.si.edu/
NPS Permit Process
blog/aids-memorial-quilt-national-mal .
Most temporary commemorations on federal land in the
District of Columbia are displayed on NPS property. As
Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm Victory
such, the work’s organizer may obtain a permit to display
Celebration
the work under NPS regulations (36 C.F.R. §7.96). Within
In June 1991, a National Victory Celebration was held in
the National Mall and Memorials Parks Division, NPS
Washington, DC, to honor the Armed Forces that
reports that it issues permits for more than 4,000 total
https://crsreports.congress.gov
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Temporary Commemorations on Federal Land in the District of Columbia
participated in Operation Desert Shield and Operation
of President Abraham Lincoln’s dog, Fido; President John
Desert Storm. The National Victory Celebration included a
F. Kennedy’s dog, Pushinka; and President Barack
parade on Pennsylvania Avenue and a display of military
Obama’s dog, Bo. Figure 4 shows the three statues in front
vehicles, helicopters, and fighter jets on the National Mall.
of the Lincoln Memorial, with the Reflecting Pool and the
Figure 2 shows an AV-88 Harrier II aircraft on the
Washington Monument in the background.
National Mall during the National Victory Celebration.
Figure 4. Presidential Dogs
Figure 2. AV-88 Harrier II During the National
Victory Celebration on the National Mall
Source: Photo taken by the author.
Notes: L to R: Fido (Lincoln), Bo (Obama), and Pushinka (Kennedy).
Beyond Granite
The Trust for the National Mall, in partnership with the
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, National
National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), NPS, and
Archives Catalog, at https://catalog.archives.gov/id/6462939.
the Mellon Trust, are creating Beyond Granite, described as
an opportunity to “invite visionary artists to create special
“In America: Remember” (Victims of COVID-19)
commemorative exhibits, performances, and installations
In September 2021, nearly 700,000 white flags, many with
on the National Mall to bring new voices and fresh
handwritten dedications, were placed on the National Mall,
perspectives to the commemorative landscape” and to
one for each American estimated to have lost their life to
“commemorate history, experiences, and stories not
COVID-19. Artist and creator Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg
currently represented in the commemorative landscape in
noted that the temporary memorial was designed to capture
the Nation’s Capital.” In December 2022, the Beyond
“the human dignity of each one of these people who have
Granite team announced six artists who will create
been compressed and ... reduced to numbers.” Figure 3
“monumental scale artworks” around the National Mall in
shows the “In America: Remember” temporary memorial to
August 2023. For more information, see
the victims of COVID-19.
https://www.beyondgranite.org.
Figure 3. “In America Remember” (Victims of
Congressional Interest and
COVID-19)
Consideration
Historically, Congress has not been directly involved in
temporary commemorations in the District of Columbia,
instead delegating the authority to the Department of the
Interior and the NPS through the CWA authority and the
NPS event regulations. In the future, Congress could begin
to authorize temporary commemorations in a way similar to
its authorization of permanent memorials under the CWA.
Congress could also amend the CWA to further define the
role of the Department of the Interior and the NPS, or it
could choose to continue the status quo and allow the
Secretary and the NPS to permit temporary
commemorations on a case-by-case basis.
Source: Lila Thulin, “In D.C., 695,000 Flags—and Counting—
Memorialize the Americans Who Have Died of Covid-19,”
For more information on the Commemorative Works Act,
Smithsonian Magazine, September 30, 2021, at
see CRS Report R41658, Commemorative Works in the
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/almost-700000-
District of Columbia: Background and Practice; and CRS
flagsand-countingon-dcs-national-mal -memorialize-the-americans-
In Focus IF11833, Commemorative Works in the District of
who-have-died-from-covid-19-180978790.
Columbia: Categorization of Proposed and Enacted
Memorials, 1973-2020.
Presidential Dogs
Over President’s Day 2022, a dog food company displayed
Jacob R. Straus, Specialist on the Congress
an exhibit of presidential dogs in front of the Lincoln
IF12416
Memorial. The temporary commemoration featured statues
https://crsreports.congress.gov
Temporary Commemorations on Federal Land in the District of Columbia
Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to
congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress.
Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has
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