Franklin D. Roosevelt was the 32nd president of the United States. As the only president elected more than two times, his memorial is one of the largest of all the presidential monuments, taking visitors through the story of his presidency. The FDR Memorial is located on the Tidal Basin as was dedicated in 1997.

FDR Memorial

FDR Memorial location

The FDR Memorial is located on the National Mall, in between the Jefferson Memorial and MLK Memorial. The GPS address is 1850 West Basin Dr SW. It is adjacent to the southwest side of the Tidal Basin.

Getting to the FDR Memorial

There are several transportation options to get to the FDR Memorial

  • Metro: Take the orange, blue, or silver line to the Smithsonian Station, walk westbound Independence Ave SW and turn left to walk southbound on West Basin Dr SW.  It is about an twenty-four minute walk.
  • DC Circulator: Take the National Mall Circulator bus from anywhere on the National Mall. This bus route starts at Union Station and then makes a big loop past the Capitol, museums and monuments and memorials.
  • Capital Bikeshare: You can ride a Capital Bikeshare bike from anywhere into the city to one of the two nearby stations: “Ohio Dr & West Basin Dr SW” or “MLK & FDR Memorials”.

TIP: The best and easiest way to see the FDR Memorial is on a guided tour. Our walking tours cover all of the major monuments and memorials on the National Mall. We use an efficient route that allows you to see all of them in three hours or less.

A few interesting facts

  • The FDR Memorial is the only memorial to include a statue for a first lady. Visitors can see America’s first United Nations Delegate and former first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt. This is also the only memorial to feature a presidential pet, FDR’s dog, Fala.
  • Unlike many memorials which are made from white granite, the FDR Memorial was created from red granite. The designers had to ship in granite all the way from the Dakotas to make a memorial in this color.
  • The Memorial has over twenty quotes by FDR inscribed inside on the walls, including his famous “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself”.

Coming to Washington, DC and want to learn a whole lot more about the FDR Memorial?

Trip Hacks DC was founded by Rob, a veteran tour guide in the Nation’s Capital. Trip Hacks DC provides tips, tricks and travel hacks for planning your trip; and guided tours to show you around once you get here. Our tours are family and school group friendly and our guides specialize in the major Washington, DC sites. Click here to check out the upcoming tour options and to book your tour here today! Feel free to contact us if you have any tour questions.