More About The Millennium Gate in Atlanta, GA

The National Monuments Foundation mission is to further the cause of classically responsible and inspirational urban design, assisting in a renaissance of urban centers which have been, throughout American and world history, a cradle of human culture.

Great moments in time are historically marked by the construction of permanent structures meant to uplift the citizens of a city, region, or nation. The National Monuments Foundation was conceived in 1999 and established in 2003 to commemorate the turn of the Millennium and to further the cause of civic responsibility in the built environment. The largest example of an American commemoration to date was executed by the McMillan Plan, which completed the L’Enfant Plan of 1791 in Washington D.C. The execution of this plan was carried out at the turn of the 19th century and took over ten years to complete. By reclaiming a marsh where the reflecting pool is now located, the Mall was almost doubled in size.

The Lincoln Memorial was also constructed on that landfill site. A huge train station in front of the Capitol was removed and the more formal alignment of the Mall we see today was completed about 1913. The result is one of the most beautiful and dynamic urban centers ever constructed in history.

This spirit of urban stewardship and responsible aesthetic civic design will now be perpetuated by The National Monuments Foundation. The principals who would later found The National Monuments Foundation completed their first project in Atlanta in 1996. With the sponsorship of The Prince of Wales’s Foundation, the World Athletes Monument was successfully built at Pershing Point to commemorate the Centennial Olympic Games. Prior to the World Athletes Monument project, many buildings in the Pershing Point area had been demolished to

facilitate traffic flow, and the surrounding neighborhood was in great need of restoration.

The construction of the monument activated a $75 million building campaign within a one-block radius of the site, and more is to come. Furthermore, the community has enthusiastically embraced this work of art and uses the monument as a place of pilgrimage during times of national or international importance.

The National Monuments Foundation believes now is the time to build monuments for the ages which will uplift the communities in which they are built through a classical approach to urban design. To this end, The National Monuments Foundation will serve the citizens of Atlanta and the nation.

SOURCE: The National Monuments Foundation