Photographer documents "Jewel of the Mall"

By Marisssa Newhall--reprint from "Georgetown Current" June 1, 2005

For many, Memorial Day 2004 marked the dedication of one of history's biggest and most symbolic bronze sculpture projects:  the World War II memorial.  For former Time-Life Books photographer Stephen Brown, it marked the final phase of a long-term creative commitment.

  This Memorial Day weekend, Brown's home studio in Burleith has become a warehouse of sorts.  Alongside an array of Macintosh computers and hanging lights, an entire wall is stacked ceiling high with boxes of "Jewel of the Mall," his recently published book immortalizing the construction of the World War II Memorial. 

  "From a purely historical perspective…it really was changing the face of the whole Mall," Brown said.  "This was a whole new monument that just ties it all together.  There should have been six photographers on this, really."

  Originally invited by longtime friend and chief sculptor Ray Kaskey to photograph the casting of the monument's bronze eagles, Brown learned quickly that almost no press attention had found its way to the important undertaking.  Feeling that construction of monuments on the mall had historically suffered from "photographic neglect, " Brown decided to tackle the entire project and commemorate it by publishing a book.

  Actual photographic work spanned 16 months, beginning in June 2003.  Brown said he would show up unannounced at the site and snap his photos, some days staying for 16 hours at a time.

"It was interesting to see the amount of personal involvement that went into this.  There were veterans who came down and put lawn chairs on the side and watched the eagles being installed for three weeks.  There was this enormous emotional, cross-generational sense," Brown said.

  Although the monument took nearly 15 years to propose, plan and design, it only took two-and-a-half years to build.  As the project continued, Brown said he was amazed by the patriotism and dedication of the construction workers, who clearly understood the historical implications of their efforts.

  "This memorial was overdue for this generation, and people were really hustling to get it done," he said. Several of Brown's photos were taken from cranes, including the book's centerpiece—a sweeping view of the monument with the brightly lit Lincoln Memorial in the distance, taken at 6 A.M. on the last day the cranes were in place on the site.  

  Through the process, Brown, whose father served in World War II, came to feel particularly connected to the monument.  A special moment came when he was invited to write his father's name inside of the 32-foot high eagles before it was installed among the monument's 38-ton granite slabs.

  My father passed away a couple of years ago, and he was a WWII veteran," Brown said.  "A lot of vets were invited to write their names on the inner structure of the eagles. There are probably thousands of names in there.

Once Brown finished taking photographs, there remained the challenge of making his book a concrete reality.  To ensure it would be available for purchase by Memorial Day weekend 2005, he realized he would have to bypass the red tape of the corporate publishing bureaucracy and go it alone.

Investing somewhere in the ballpark of six figures of his own money, Brown used Photoshop to edit his pictures and laid out "Jewel of the Mall" on his computers.  He then checked page proofs and oversaw the book's printing. "It was a scary investment," Brown said, " There were a lot of moments I was thinking to myself I was crazy (But)…when those presses started to run…it was very exciting"

Rather than outsourcing to China to cut costs, Brown said the book was printed in Buffalo, N.Y. to keep the book American and to make reordering and warehousing easier.  Of 10,000 initial copies, Brown said 3000 have already sold. So far, the book is available on Amazon.com and at various bookstores on the Mall, including all Smithsonian museum gift shops.

 Brown's book documents the entire creative process.  It includes several pages of exclusive photos of artisans and construction workers piecing together the granite structure and its artwork. With veterans in mind, Brown opted for a paperback format to put out a book that anyone who comes to the Mall can afford. 

  "I learned a lot about printing a book.  Everyone said (a hardcover edition) would be absolutely grand, but grand is when everybody can buy a copy and bring it home," Brown said.  For Brown, the World War II Memorial's "quite testimony, without throwing (anything) in your face," makes it a remarkable and unique structure compared to the mall's other memorials and monuments. 

  "People have a tie to this former generation," he said.  "WWII was this defining event, and we had all these people who became global citizens from being farm boys.  Of all the projects I've done, this definitely has a strong emotional reaction." Despite the months of work, Brown said documenting the project was essential—and enormously satisfying.  "This is the Mall.  …This isn't a back alley, this is history."

More information on "Jewel of the Mall" can be found at "www.jewelofthemall.com."