Initial recommendations for memorializing President Abraham Lincoln ranged from statues to highways. Once a decision was made to create a national memorial, an open competition for its design was held. The commission was awarded to architect Henry Bacon, who drew his inspiration from the Parthenon atop the Acropolis in Athens. This original sketch shows Bacons critical role in the evolution of the design, scale, and placement of the statue designed by Daniel Chester French for the buildings interior.