Kelly DoyleThe National Mall is finally getting a memorial to the women who fought for voting rights, and visitors to D.C. are wondering what took so long.
Federal planners Thursday approved the , authorizing its placement on the .
The monument is the product of two congressional acts 鈥� one by President Donald Trump in 2020 establishing the project and another by former President Joe Biden in January securing its home on federal land.
The voted last Thursday to approved the placement of the memorial near the intersection of 19th Street and Constitution Avenue in , which is between the and .
The commission four potential locations before giving its final approval for a site known as Constitution Gardens East.
“The location provides thematic connections to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence Memorial and the Vietnam Women鈥檚 Memorial and a visual connection to the Washington Monument. It would complement the National Mall Plan and the Trust for the National Mall鈥檚 vision for Constitution Gardens as a place of 24-hour activity throughout all seasons,” the commission said in a press release released following its approval.
Some visitors around the Mall were surprised this didn鈥檛 happen sooner.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 really good,鈥� said Chloe De Wouters, a tourist from Switzerland. 鈥淭here are so many monuments here, and none are about women.鈥�
The Women鈥檚 Suffrage National Monument Foundation is responsible for fundraising, design selection, and construction. The project will rely entirely on private donations and is estimated to cost around $100 million.
A national design competition is set for 2026, a foundation spokesperson told 最新蜜桃影像, and construction will begin once funding and design approval are secured.
No major monument on the Mall is dedicated to women鈥檚 history, aside from the Vietnam Women鈥檚 Memorial, which honors the nurses who served during the war.
Some visitors said they hope the monument reflects a wide range of women who shaped the suffrage movement, not just the most famous figures.
Glennis Warsaki of Virginia said the monument should include women whose work for equality extended beyond voting rights.
鈥淓vangeline Booth should be in it,鈥� Warsaki said. 鈥淪he started the work of the Salvation Army in the United States, and nobody ever mentions her.鈥�
The monument aims to tell a centuries-long story, from the to the who picketed the White House.
For visitors like William Kelly, a Washington-area worker, placing the monument on the Mall is long overdue.
鈥淲omen have been through a lot, and they deserve the recognition they get,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檒l absolutely go see it.鈥�
Ellen Tannor
Luisa Clausen
Kordell Martin
[…] are also moving forward to resurrect a monument honoring women suffragists on the National Mall鈥攁 proposal that was greenlit earlier this month, with design plans expected to be completed next year. Together, these efforts reflect a growing […]