we take a look at the proposed memorial designed by architect frank gehry. after that president eisenhower's granddaughter, susan eisenhower, talks about her opposition to the frank gehry memorial design. that's followed later by an archival film about his military career produced by the u.s. army. >> this past october frank gehry, the architect behind the proposed eisenhower national memorial, spoke at the national archives about the ideas behind his design. he was joined by wilson. this is about an hour. >>> thank you for the introduction. i know how much you're looking forward to this great program we have this evening. my remarks will be brief. but as a representative of the eisenhower memorial commission, i'm happy and pleased that tonight we have with us three commissioners, chairman rocco sicilianio from beverly hills, california, commissioner alfred godelburg from new york city and commissioner susan baines harris from washington, d.c. i see around the room other distinguished supporters of the eisenhower legacy and the president and general's memori

so, please welcome frank gehry and robert wilson to the stage. >> so, we're going to talk for a little while, and then i'll show you some wonderful pictures, and then open it up for questions from you for our visitors. so, i'd like to start by talking about the collaboration, the roles that you each play in this project. >> well, i was sort of the lead in the architectural thing. and i was worried about -- i read in order to do the competition, i read everything i could find on eisenhower and realized what a great man he was. and i had no -- i knew he was great, but had no idea. it seemed to me that i needed somebody that understood how to present the man, how to present him, somebody who is an actor in his own. bob's an actor. and he knows how to develop a character. and it was just a fluke when i asked the -- when we began, i said i was going to reach out to him, and i had no idea whether he'd do it or not. but we've known each other a long time. and he turned out to be ten times more than what i expected or what i thought i needed. now i know i needed beyond in developing this scene

one from frank gehry, the renowned art tech chosen to design the memorial. another letter is from david childs, the former chairman of the national capitol planning commission and the commission of fine arts. again, let me thank everybody in advance for your testimony. and with that, if any remaining time with the chairman's indulgence, if i could give that time to my colleague from california, if you may have any opening statements. >> sure. >> thank you, mr. chairman. >> mr. chairman, if i might, first of all, i'm really looking forward to this hearing. i agree with the ranking member that we really ought not to make design questions here. there are others that are far more capable of doing that. and the commission has it. but it would seem to me that our purpose ought to be to make sure that this gets done, that we get this memorial under way, and that it become available for the general public to memorialize and to remind us of the incredible contributions that this man made together with millions of other americans during world war ii before and after i

disney hall, designed by frank gehry, almost did not get built.cued the project by putting up his own money and putting the squeeze on fellow plutocrats. >> it's really become the symbol of our city. >> and then there's his own museum, the broad. this is a rendering. it's still a parking lot, but it will eventually hold his $1.6 billion art collection. how much is this going to cost? something approaching $1 billion? >> more. >> more? >> more. >> we were interrupted by an angeleno driving by. >> eli, buy the dodgers. buy the dodgers! >> "eli, buy the dodgers." you could be the george steinbrenner of los angeles? >> oh, no, no, no. i've got enough on my plate, >> broad runs his philanthropic foundation like a for-profit business, not a charity. charity, he says, is just writing checks. he practices what he calls venture philanthropy. >> we don't give it away. we invest it, and we want a return. remember, i started work as a cpa, so that gave me fiscal discipline in everything i did in business, and i guess some of it carries over to philanthropy, >

at 8:00 p.m., architect frank gehry. following that at 9:00 p.m., eisenhower's granddaughter expressing her opposition to the memorial. at 10:30 p.m., a film produced by the u.s. army about eisenhower. >>> to mark george washington's birthday, the american enterprise institute hosted a gathering of political thinkers to consider the presidency and legacy of our nation's first chief executive. among the topics discussed are washington's farewell address and the many presidents he set for his successors, including what historians it to be his most lasting legacy. his decision to relinquish power after only two terms in office this. program is 90 minutes. >> i'm amy kass, senior fellow at hudson institute. on behalf of what so proudly we hail aei's program on american citizenship, would i like to welcome you and our viewers around the country courtesy of c-span to event in honor washington's birthday. this is one of a series of events and discussions where response oregon on the american we're sponsoring on the american cal

then at 8:00, architect frank gehry. then at 9:00, the president's granddaughter, susan eisenhower. then at 10:30 p.m., a film about president eisenhower produced by the u.s. army. >>> each week, you can watch classes at 8:00 p.m. and midnight eastern. this week, ohio state university history professor joan cashin looks at the women's rights movements. this class is from the course of jeffersonian. >> it has as it's goal the abolition of slavery. the full and complete emancipation of all slaves. this is different. this is different from earlier occasional criticisms of slavery by other americans. there had always been a few people here and there since the revolution who would occasionally speak out against slavery. a quaker, for example, in new jersey, in the 1820s, wrote some essayss wrote that gradual emancipation would be good state by state. this is different. these are team calling for the absolute and full and complete end to slavery. every slave in the united states immediately. the people who are very active in this movement are devout protestants. blacks and whites. men and

arc i tekt frank gehry, following that is the president's granddaughter susan eisenhower expressing opposition to the eisenhower memorial. at 10:30 p.m. an archival film about president eisenhower produced by the u.s. army. lectures in history airs each saturday at 8:00 p.m. and midnight eastern. and sundays at 1:00 p.m. we feature classroom lectures from across the country on different topics and eras of american history. to keep up with american history tv during the week or send us questions and comments follow us on twitter. we're at twitter.com/cspanhistory. >> in may of 2011, historian richard norton smith led a 10-day bus tour from asheville, north carolina to austin, texas, the group stopped at several presidential and historic sites along the route. one of the stops was the andrew johnson homestead in greenville, tennessee. a site owned and operated by the national park service. johnson served as vice president under president lincoln. and succeeded him when lincoln was assassinated. here's park guide daniel luther portraying president johnson and telling the story how andrew johnson

architect frank gehry on his design for the memorial and following that is susan

architect frank gehry on the eisenhower memorial. then the president's granddaughter susan expressing opposition to the memorial. at 10:30 p.m. a film about the president produced by the u.s. army. >>> on march 31, 1981 a would be assassin fired six shots at president ronald reagan outside the washington hilton hotel two miles from the white house. "washington post" reporter del wilbur author of "rawhide down the near assassination of ronald reagan" met us on the sidewalk where the shooting took place to tell his story of that day. >> ronald reagan was leaving this hotel after delivering a speech to the afl-cio. reagan, a longtime union man himself, was kind of excited to give this speech. he actually rewrote it by hand. [ applause ] ♪ about 2:25, 2:26, 2:27 he emerges from this entrance behind this area. this is new. they built it after the shooting. it's a bunker, and if you'll look over here, you'll see the entrance, a door, a steel door. where the president emerged and left. they built this actually, this entrance, especially for

frank gary on his design for the memorial. following that is the president's granddaughter, susan eisenhower, expressing her opposition to the gehry designed memorial. and then an a film produced by the u.s. army. >>> between 1861 and 1868, clara barton, known as the angel of the battlefield and founder of the american red cross lived in this washington, d.c. building. she employed 12 clerks on the third floor in her missing soldiers office where they received over 60,000 letters from families searching for lost sons and husbands. a carpenter for the general services administration was helping to prepare the building for demolition when he discovered this office signed in the attic. american history tv visited the building to learn about the missing soldier's office and to hear the story of richard lyons, who worked alone for months to save the building from demolition. >> this is the original staircase that was never renovated or changed much as all. just a few repairs done it. when you walk up the staircase and put your hand on the banister, you're walking in clara barton's footsteps. she did this for about eight years during th