On this day in 1967, the remains of President John F. Kennedy were moved from a temporary site in Arlington National Cemetery to a permanent location nearby. The work of architect John C. Warnecke, the simple modernist gravesite consisting of flagstones, flat bronze markers, and an eternal flame, immediately became a place of pilgrimage. (See the excellent article at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Kennedy_Eternal_Flame)
Like most of the nation, I was fascinated with the idea of an eternal flame, which had been a feature of the president's temporary resting place as well. It is this element, as well as the radical simplicity of the place ("monument" is not the right word) that stays in mind. This is especially true if one has not visited Arlington, which I had not until the 1990s. As these images suggest, the site is not very photogenic. It can be, however, a rewarding architectural and emotional experience.Even before I had seen the gravesite, on an especially peaceful and beautiful plateau in the cemetery, it fascinated me. I was 8 years old at the time of the assassination. My grandmother lived near a cemetery, and I was already aware that graves, and the people in them, got less and less attention over time, until no one had any active memory of those dead. Surely this would not be the case with a president; and an eternal flame made that doubly sure.
This fascination has accrued with other experiences--notably my accidental discovery of the inappropriately glorious Warren G. Harding burial place--to generate big plans. I designed, but didn't get to teach, a course on the architecture of death. And I have barely begun a book on all the presidential gravesites. I continue to wonder about the ways we use architecture to make memories permanent.
