Plaza designer pleased by project, dedication events
An adventure that began for Ellen Ulmer several years ago when she was recruited to design the George C. Marshall Memorial Plaza ended Sunday when thousands of people gathered to greet Prince Andrew as he dedicated the site. Ulmer was the landscape architect who designed both Phase I and Phase II of the plaza, located at Five Corners intersection along the National Road in Uniontown.
Sitting at the Uniontown Country Club following the event, Ulmer said she was glad it was over and that everything went well.
“It all went real well. The whole thing was really exciting, but to go downtown and see that many people was unbelievable,” she said. Ulmer and more than 100 others arrived in one of the four buses that were taken to the event from the Uniontown Country Club, where the prince had attended a $250-a-plate luncheon to help defray costs with building the plaza.
Ulmer said about 200 people attended the luncheon. She said at about noon the lead security for Prince Andrew notified them that people were already congregating in anticipation of the event, which was still hours away. An estimated crowd of 2,500 attended the ceremony.
Ulmer said Friends of Marshall president Charles Cluss used to “talk big” about getting a vice president or secretary of state to come to the dedication for the plaza, but she never thought a member of the British Royal Family would come to Uniontown.
“We were really lucky to have him here,” Ulmer said. “It’s been a big adventure.”
For Ulmer, Sunday’s ceremony marked the end of a long road. She said in July 2002, the British first contacted Friends of Marshall about a visit and it was kept strictly confidential. However, since the public announcement a couple weeks ago, everything had been in full swing, Ulmer said. “All the planning paid off,” she said.
Ulmer, who also designed a General George C. Marshall collage to display in Pittsburgh for the prince last Saturday night, said she was just kind of numb after the event. “All this past week has been so hectic,” she said. “I’m glad it’s over and everything went well.”
Along the way to Sunday’s dedication, Ulmer even helped to plant flowers in the plaza in anticipation of Prince Andrew’s arrival and became a member of the Friends of Marshall.
Ulmer said she became involved after the Friends of Marshall had worked for years to put something together to honor Uniontown’s most famous son, and they finally called her to see if she could help build a plan.
Although some changes were made in the design due to monetary limitations, once Ulmer became involved, she worked together with board members and “just did it.”
“The board members had input,” she said. “We made it look good.”
The main section of the plaza, opened in 1999, is a triangular piece of land located between Main and Fayette streets directly across Main Street from the site of Marshall’s boyhood home, where the VFW Post 47 is located.
Included in that part is a walkway that includes five large engraved stars symbolizing Marshall’s status as a five-star general and a bridge that crosses Coal Lick Run.
The walkway opens into a wider area that holds three rows of flags that represent the 16 nations included in the Marshall Plan as well as flags for the United States, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and VFW Post 47. Plaques giving a timeline of Marshall’s life are located along the walkway. A World War I doughboy sculpture is also a part of the plaza.
Phase II, completed last year, includes a World War II G.I. sculpture, a sculpture of Marshall in a World War II uniform on a bench and three plaques highlighting remarks Marshall made about war. There are also steps, another bench and a parking lot for visitors.