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Washington Monument (Philadelphia)

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Coordinates: 39°57′51.3″N 75°10′45″W / 39.964250°N 75.17917°W / 39.964250; -75.17917 (Washington Monument)
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Washington Monument
Washington Monument
Washington Monument by Rudolf Siemering
Map
ArtistRudolf Siemering
YearDedicated May 15, 1897
MediumBronze, Granite
Dimensions13 m × 19 m × 23 m (44 ft × 61 ft × 74 ft)
LocationEakins Oval, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Coordinates39°57′51.3″N 75°10′45″W / 39.964250°N 75.17917°W / 39.964250; -75.17917 (Washington Monument)

The Washington Monument is a large bronze and granite sculpture featuring an equestrian statue of General George Washington created by the German sculptor Rudolf Siemering in 1897. Originally located at the Green Street entrance to Fairmount Park, it was relocated in 1928 to the Eakins Oval near the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The memorial was commissioned by the State Society of the Cincinnati of Pennsylvania and given to the city of Philadelphia.[1][2][3]

History

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The State Society of the Cincinnati of Pennsylvania met on July 4, 1810 and resolved to erect a memorial to George Washington in Philadelphia.[4]: 133  As there was no monument by 1824, when the Marquis de Lafayette visited, a second fund was established by citizens of the city for the monument, which would be erected in Washington Square.[4]: 134 [5]: 6  Local artist John Sartain was part of the monument committee.[6] In 1879, Rudolf Siemering proposed a monumental memorial for Washington. Siemering was a German sculptor working in Berlin and known for his Leipzig Victory Monument located in the city's market square. In 1880, the Society, having secured funding, began negotiations with Siemering. A contract for the monument was signed on October 19, 1881.[4]: 134–135  Sites considered for the monument included Fairmount Park and Washington Square. In 1895, the park commissioners approved the Green Street entrance to the park.[4]: 136 

President William McKinley unveiled the statue at its dedication on May 15, 1897 and gave a brief presentation.[7]: 9, 14  Judge William W. Porter of the State Society of the Cincinnati gave the main oration. Major William Wayne, president of the society and direct descendant of Revolutionary War general Anthony Wayne, presented the monument to the city. Mayor Charles F. Warwick transferred it to the Fairmount Park Commission.[3][8]

In 1917, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway was designed by the French landscape architect Jacques Gréber, who had been hired by the Fairmount Park Commission. As part of the City Beautiful plan, the monument was relocated from the Green Street entrance to Eakins Oval, the traffic circle at the end of the parkway by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, in 1928.[9] In time for its centennial in 1997, the monument underwent a four-year restoration.[10]

The monument was listed as the Washington Fountain, Eakins Oval, on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places on June 29, 1971.[11]

Description

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Equestrian statue of George Washington

The 44-foot (13 m)[1] high monument is divided into three levels. The equestrian statue of Washington is at the top, representing his service as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. The middle level represents the history and the lower level the natural world during his time.[2][4] The pink Swedish granite base is 61 by 74 feet (19 m × 23 m) and has thirteen steps, for the thirteen original states. The four corner fountains symbolize four major rivers: the Delaware River, the Hudson River, the Potomac River, and the Mississippi River.[5]: 7–8 

Washington Monument from the south
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  • Allegorical figure of America with trident and cornucopia, on the southeast side
    Allegorical figure of America with trident and cornucopia, on the southeast side
  • American bison at the base
    American bison at the base
  • Bear at the base
    Bear at the base
  • Fisherwoman at the base
    Fisherwoman at the base

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "George Washington Monument, (sculpture)". Inventory of American Sculpture, Smithsonian Institution Research Information System. Smithsonian American Art Museum.
  2. ^ a b "Washington Monument (1897)". Association for Public Art.
  3. ^ a b "With Splendid Pageantry and Patriotic Tribute". The Philadelphia Inquirer. May 15, 1897. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com. President McKinley Will To-day Unveil the Monument Erected to the Memory of the Immortal Washington by the Society of the Cincinnati
  4. ^ a b c d e Tancock, John; Fairmount Park Art Association (1974). "The Washington Monument". Sculpture of a City: Philadelphia's Treasures in Bronze and Stone. pp. 132–141. ISBN 0-8027-0459-X.
  5. ^ a b Fairmount Park Commission (1897). The Washington Monument, Green Street Entrance, Fairmount Park. LCCN 16008182.
  6. ^ "Sartain, John" . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911.
  7. ^ State Society of the Cincinnati of Pennsylvania (1897). Ceremonies Attending the Unveiling of the Washington Monument in Fairmount Park, May 15th, 1897. OCLC 1041780747.
  8. ^ "Magnificent Tribute to the Memory of Washington". The Philadelphia Inquirer. May 16, 1897. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Bach, Penny Balkin (1992). "A City Planned". Public Art in Philadelphia. Temple University Press. pp. 120–127. ISBN 0-87722-822-1.
  10. ^ Yant, Monica (May 19, 1997). "Making monument less mysterious". The Philadelphia Inquirer. pp. 17, 19 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Philadelphia Register of Historic Places" (PDF). Philadelphia Historical Commission. January 6, 2020. p. 5.
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