WASHINGTON D.C. (AP) — After several delays, a national memorial to President Dwight Eisenhower will open in Washington D.C.

The memorial to the nation's 34th president and Supreme Allied Commander in World War II will open to the public Friday after a dedication ceremony on Thursday. While Eisenhower's role on the national and international stage is the focus, the memorial also includes a statue and information noting his love for his native state of Kansas.

“The Eisenhower Memorial not only commemorates the life and legacy of an extraordinary man; it also stands as a symbol for all generations of the promise of America and what our values make possible here and around the world," U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, a Kansas Republican who was chairman of the Eisenhower Memorial Commission, said in a statement.

The dedication was originally scheduled for May to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Allied's victory over the Nazis in World War II. The ceremony and opening was delayed by the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

Congress funded the memorial in 1999 but it was delayed after Eisenhower's family objected to some elements in architect Frank Gehry's original design. Construction began in November of 2017.