Project Updates
Important Milestones for a National Adams Family Tribute
The Journey to the Adams Memorial
Follow the latest progress of the Adams Memorial Foundation as plans continue to move forward in Washington, D.C. We provide regular updates on congressional legislation, site selection, memorial design, fundraising milestones, and other key developments from The Adams Memorial Foundation.
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“Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman, before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air.”
John Quincy Adams | December 1802
An Oration Delivered at Plymouth
Adams Memorial Updates
Proposed Location
President’s Park South (seen above on this page) — commonly referred to as the Ellipse — encompasses the area directly south of the White House. This location is significant to the Adams family because, in 1800, during the final months of his presidency, John Adams became the first president to reside in the White House. Furthermore, the site would organize the Jefferson, Washington, and Adams Memorials in a geographical line signifying the important contributions of each man to the country as a Founding Father and president.
The Adams Memorial’s President’s Park location is estimated to receive 2 million–3 million visitors each year. That will place the Adams Memorial alongside those honoring Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln as among the nation’s most visible civic landmarks.
Current Legislative Status and Milestones
The Great American Heroes Act (H.R. 2306) establishes the federal framework for the Adams Memorial. It:
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Reauthorizes the Adams Memorial Commission through 2032 and formally recognizes the full Adams legacy — honoring John and Abigail Adams, John Quincy and Louisa Catherine Adams, Charles Francis Adams, and Henry Adams;
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Passed the House in December 2025 with bipartisan support and has since been received in the Senate for consideration;
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Designates the area south of the White House in President’s Park South — adjacent to the Ellipse and near Pennsylvania Avenue — as the preferred site of national prominence for the memorial;
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Reinforces a measured, bipartisan framework in which the memorial is advanced through private philanthropy in partnership with the federal government.