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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

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.

Due to the destruction of the city during the Civil War and a rapid, aggressive approach to development which has historically involved tearing down the old to make way for the new, Atlanta does not have the benefit of great architectural monuments and public works of art which exist in other cities of comparable size. The National Monuments Foundation believes one of the keys to urban planning and to the survival of American cities is to build great public structures and spaces which, through their classical beauty, lift the human spirit and enhance the quality of life. This concept has been lost to Americans for several generations.

	Beneath the arch will be a gallery for contemporary classical sculptors that will be open for the public to enjoy. This is based on the Renaissance practice of filling city squares with beautiful works of art, with Florence as a primary example. The sculptural works will periodically change to provide continued opportunity to view new works of art. A dining room and terrace, which can be retained for events, will provide a dramatic view of the city from the roof. The Millennium Gate will first and foremost be a work of art, but also importantly, a cutting edge educational tool. We will be concentrating on a three-fold story: First, the peaceful
accomplishment of the last 2000 years, second, the ascension of the United States within that continuum and, third, the city and how, because of a different credo than other regional cities, Atlanta became a giant, globally important city in a relatively short period of time.

A small museum component is planned, designed by the celebrated Edwin Schlossberg. He will explain the sculptural element of the monument and tell the story of the founding of the United States and how that history fits into the continuum of the last 2000 years of world history. As part of that story, the Bagwell family is sponsoring a gallery, which will focus on how Truth and Reason were foundations considered of extreme importance to our Founding Fathers in the formation of the Constitution and the Republic. The Virginia Statute of Religious Freedoms and the Bill of Rights are compared to Magna Carta and other significant works to excite today’s youth that their form of government was an enlightened one, regarded at its inception as quite revolutionary. The educational mission will accomplish making a subject many of today’s youth regard as tired and dull to the story it truly is – one of the most exciting events ever to occur in the course of human history. Schlossberg is confident that he can achieve these ends in ways even he has not achieved to date, and because of new technology, we can offer additional interactive experiences and exhibits focused on Truth, keeping the Bagwell Gallery innovative and new.

Atlanta was unusual in the South having founding families whose credo was what was good for Atlanta was good for business. (Compare this to other southern cities whose credos were what was good for business was good for the city.) The families we will focus on are the Candler, Woodruff, Robinson, and Glenn families, which involve banking, Coca-Cola, the former Atlantic Steel Co., where this monument is situated, and Emory University. The Glenn Family administered Atlantic Steel for over 50 years and are gifting the Foundation substantial endowment funds and the office suite of Thomas K. Glenn which will be reconstructed in The Millennium Gate, much like Robert

Thomas K. Glenn's office at Atlantic Steel Company to be recreated. Woodruff’s office is preserved at Coca-Cola, Margaret Mitchell's apartment is preserved at the Margaret Mitchell House Museum and the city historian Franklin Garrett’s library is preserved at The Atlanta History Center. The James D. Robinson family and Rodney M. Cook, Sr. are gifting the foundation in memory of Josephine Robinson and James D. Robinson, Jr., and the living room designed by Philip Shutze at her West Paces Ferry estate will be recreated. Their stories are city, state, national and international in scope and their efforts affect the world today.

The monument has been designed by way of an international competition. The judges for this competition were among the most well respected architects and Deans of Architecture of our time: Michael Dennis of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Leon Krier of the Prince of Wales’s Institute of Architecture, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, Dean, University of Miami, Robert A. M. Stern, Dean, Yale University, and Carroll William Westfall, Dean, The University of Notre Dame.

Leon Krier at the Cropsey Museum, New York

Plans will be formalized into working drawings by the august London-based international firm of Robert Adam Architects and spearheaded by Hugh Petter of that office. Mr. Petter has strong involvement with previous work in Atlanta of the Prince of Wales’s Olympics Monument and will be heavily relied upon to produce another successful result here. The American firm of Collins Cooper Carusi Architects will be the Architect of Record. The American landscape firm Tunnell and Tunnell will design the grounds of The Millennium Gate.

Sponsored by the Tommy Bagwell family and the Arol Wolford family, the monumental sculpture of the Millennium Gate is that of Alexander Stoddart of Scotland. Stoddart is among the 5 sculptors globally who possess the education and skill to achieve the sculptural program of the Millennium Gate. Stoddart has recently completed the monumental Queens Gallery at Buckingham Palace to great worldwide acclaim. Our guide in the completion and attendance of the Millennium Gate is the Prince of Wales’s World Athletes Monument whose five Atlas figures were sculpted by the celebrated Dick Reid of York, England and Martin Dawe of Atlanta, Georgia.

Jane Wolford, Rodney Cook, Jr., Allen Maines, Arol Wolford, & Alexander Stoddart Sculpture program introduction meeting - Blenheim Palace, 2002. Although not easily accessible and solely a work of art, CNN estimated that 20,0000 people were drawn to the World Athletes Monument during several days of international mourning for Princess Diana. In addition, thousands have come to the site to celebrate Olympic victories and mourn past presidents at the time of their deaths. By contrast, the dramatic Millennium Gate site is a living monument with access to public parking and superior public transportation.