Public Law 109-340
authorized the memorial, as signed by President Bush on October 13,
2006 according to the "Ukraine in Brief", Volume IV, Issue of the
Ukrainian National Information Service (UNIS) in Washington, D.C. on
Friday, October 3, 2008.
The "Ukraine in Brief" newsletter
said: "The Ukrainian Famine-Genocide bill (HR562) was sponsored by Rep.
Sander Levin (D-MI), co-chair of the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus,
which passed unanimously in the House of Representatives and Senate in
2005, 2006 respectively.
The adopted site is an approximately
3100 square foot triangular site located at the intersection of North
Capital Street, Massachusetts Avenue, and F Street in NW Washington,
DC. Office, government, institutional, and residential buildings
characterize the general area surrounding the site.
The Postal
Museum is across the street, and it is five blocks north of the U.S.
Capitol. This open and visible site is situated in a busy and highly
trafficked area that serves as a transition point between east and west
Washington, DC.
The site is important as the first reservation
west of Union Station, and is a significant entrance point from Union
Station to NW DC through Massachusetts
Avenue, which is known for its international character.
Speaking
about the accomplishment of the site selection, Alan Harwood a
Principal with EDAW, Inc., the planning and design firm that is leading
the
project team, "the Ukrainian memorial will be located on a
wonderful and prominent site in the Nation`s Capital. It will be highly
visible to many residents, employees, and visitors.”
Although the
proposed memorial has not yet been designed, based on preliminary
discussions, the Ukrainian Government has stated that it anticipates
that the commemoration of this event will consist of a contemplative
space with a memorial element appropriate for a landscaped setting. The
proposed
memorial is anticipated to “include typical features such as an abstract or allegorical element in a landscaped setting.”
Initiated
under the auspices of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America in
cooperation with Rep. Levin’s office, the process has been widely
supported
by the Ukrainian American community. The National Committee to
Commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the Ukrainian Genocide of 1932-1933
has taken upon itself financing of the Environmental Assessment for the
project.
Its chairman, Michael Sawkiw, Jr., thanked the
community for their continued financial support: “Without the support
of Ukrainian Americans, our dream of having a memorial in Washington,
DC would not have come to fruition yesterday during the site selection
hearing.”
The Ukrainian Government is confident that it can
create a successful and functional public space that befits the site’s
prominence in the National Capital,
embracing the site’s natural openness, and seamlessly integrating the memorial into the surrounding environment."
The
Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA), The National Committee
to Commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the Ukrainian Genocide of
1932-1933, and the Embassy of Ukraine to the United States, Dr. Oleh
Shamshur, Ambassador, have been working together for many months to
obtain approval of an appropriate site for the Holodomor Memorial.
