George Gordon Meade Memorial
38°53′32″N 77°00′59″W / 38.892131°N 77.016444°W | |
George Gordon Meade Memorial | |
Part of | Civil War Monuments in Washington, D.C. |
---|---|
NRHP reference No. | 78000257[1] |
Added to NRHP | September 20, 1978[2] |
Location | 300 block of Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C., United States |
Designer | Charles Grafly (sculptor) Grant Simon and Edward P. Simon (architects) Piccirilli Brothers (carver) George A. Fuller Company (contractor) |
Material | marble and granite (sculpture) granite (base) |
Height | 17.10 feet (5.21 m) |
Opening date | October 19, 1927 |
Dedicated to | George Meade |
The George Gordon Meade Memorial, also known as the Meade Memorial or Major General George Gordon Meade, is a public artwork in
The memorial is one of eighteen Civil War monuments in Washington, D.C., which were collectively listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The marble and granite sculpture, which includes depictions of Meade and seven allegorical figures, rests on a granite base and granite platform. It is surrounded by a public plaza and small park. The monument is owned and maintained by the National Park Service, a federal agency of the Interior Department.
Another monument to Meade by sculptor
History
Background
Unlike many Civil War generals, there were no calls for a memorial to Meade after his death in 1872 because he was not popular with Lincoln, Grant, or his fellow officers, though he was considered a hero in his native Pennsylvania. In the 1910s, members of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) and Society of the Army of the Potomac fraternal organizations lobbied the Pennsylvania General Assembly to fund a statue of Meade.[4] The state assembly commissioned the sculpture on October 18, 1913, and appropriated $200,000 for its construction. Members of the Pennsylvania congressional delegation lobbied Congress to approve the sculpture and an act of Congress authorized its erection on January 21, 1915.[4][5] Congress mandated that the sculpture design and site of the memorial be approved by the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA). Because the memorial was a gift from the state of Pennsylvania, a Meade Memorial Commission was appointed by the state governor. The commission, led by John W. Frazier, a veteran who fought with Meade at Gettysburg, was composed of architects, artists, and planners who agreed on very little. Frazier was considered abusive and tactless, sending rude letters to the CFA and demanding certain requirements for the memorial. This created an impasse which lasted until Frazier's death in 1918. Following his death, the memorial commission finally chose a sculptor, a Pennsylvania native named Charles Grafly (1862–1929).[4]
Grafly was a founder of the National Sculpture Society and longtime educator at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts who was best known for his portrait busts. Although Grafly was at the peak of his career, the CGA was hesitant in approving him to design the sculpture because his symbolic works had been criticized for being incomprehensible. The CFA finally agreed to consider Grafly and following several months of negotiations and changes, a preliminary sculpture design was approved in August 1918.[4] Grafly received $85,000 for his commission.[5] Several years of bickering about the final design and location of the memorial passed until March 28, 1922, when an official groundbreaking ceremony took place.[4][5] The chosen site was near 3rd Street NW in Union Square, a public park on Capitol Hill, and close to the large Ulysses S. Grant Memorial. Before the memorial was installed, the last of the old Botanic Garden greenhouses were demolished and the Bartholdi Fountain was moved to make way.[4] The architects chosen to design the memorial were Grant Simon and Edward P. Simon of Philadelphia. Piccirilli Brothers carved the memorial and the project contractor was the George A. Fuller Company.[5] The total cost of the memorial and its installation was $400,000.[6]
Dedication
The memorial was formally dedicated on October 19, 1927, becoming one of the last Civil War monuments erected in Washington, D.C. By the time of the dedication, many of the GAR and Society of the Army of the Potomac members who championed the memorial had died and only a few Civil War veterans were able to attend the ceremony.
Northminster Presbyterian Church minister Hugh K. Fulton gave the invocation and Reverend J. H. Pershing led the dedicatory prayer. A speech detailing Meade's life and career was given by Fisher which was followed by the unveiling of the memorial by Meade's daughter, Henrietta, who was escorted by Ulysses S. Grant III. As the memorial was unveiled, a flock of pigeons, symbolizing peace, was released from an altar bearing the Army of the Potomac's emblem. The Army Band played "The Star-Spangled Banner" as Army cannons were fired. Fisher presented the memorial on behalf of the state of Pennsylvania to Coolidge on behalf of the American people. Coolidge's remarks including the following: "On behalf of the Government of the Nation which he helped to save, I accept this memorial erected by the Commonwealth which has his own home and the home of his ancestors. The conflict in which he took such an important part has long since passed away. The peace which he loved has come. The reconciliation which he sought is complete. The loyalty to the flag which he followed is universal. Through all of this shines his own immortal flame." An elderly veteran who fought at Gettysburg collapsed as he was giving a speech recounting his experience during the battle. Blanton Winship, at the time the president's chief military aid, and James F. Coupal, the president's physician, came to his aid. He was able to finish his speech and the crowds cheered him. The ceremony concluded with the band playing "Taps".[6]
Later history
In 1969, the memorial was dismantled and placed in a storage facility at 42nd Street and Hunt Place NE when the
The memorial is one of eighteen Civil War monuments in Washington, D.C., which were collectively listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 20, 1978, and the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites on March 3, 1979.[2] The memorial and surrounding park are owned and maintained by the NPS, a federal agency of the Interior Department.[5]
Sculptor
Design and location
The memorial is located on the 300 block of Pennsylvania Avenue NW in the Judiciary Square neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It stands in front of the E. Barrett Prettyman United States Courthouse and across the street from the National Gallery of Art's East Building. The memorial is sited in the center of a public plaza and small park.[12]
The cylindrical marble and granite sculpture is 10.6 ft (3.2 m) tall and 9 ft (2.7 m) wide. Meade is depicted in his military uniform and standing at the front of the sculpture. A male, winged figure representing War is on the rear side of the sculpture and is flanked by two memorial tablets. Six allegorical figures representing qualities the artist believed necessary in a great military leader are on the sides of the sculpture: Chivalry, Energy, Fame, Loyalty, Military Courage, and Progress. The male figure of Loyalty, on the proper right, and female figure of Chivalry, on the proper left, are removing Meade's military cloak, representing the "cloak of battle" that Meade leaves behind. The figure representing Loyalty holds a wreath and garlands behind Meade representing his accomplishments. The female figure representing Fame is behind Loyalty and is supported by the male figure of Energy. Behind Chivalry is the male figure of Progress and male figure of Military Courage. The latter is locking arms with War. A gold
Inscriptions on the memorial include the following:[5]
- CHARLES GRAFLY. SC. / MCMXX–MCMXXV (on the sculpture)
- MEADE (lower front of base)
- EDWARD P. SIMON / GRANT M. SIMON / ARCHITECTS / EXECUTED BY PICCIRILLI BROS (rear of base)
- THE COMMONWEALTH / OF PENNSYLVANIA / TO MAJOR GENERAL / GEORGE GORDON MEADE / WHO COMMANDED / THE UNION FORCES / AT GETTYSBURG (brass letters set into granite platform)
See also
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ a b "District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites" (PDF). District of Columbia Office of Planning – Historic Preservation Office. September 30, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 5, 2014. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
- ^ "George G. Meade". The History Channel. Archived from the original on February 20, 2015. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
- ^ ISBN 9780801858611.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Meade Memorial, (sculpture)". Smithsonian American Art Museum. Archived from the original on February 20, 2015. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
- ^ a b c "President Accept Meade Memorial In Behalf of Country". The Washington Post. October 20, 1927.
- ^ Scott, Gary (September 19, 1977). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory—Nomination Form – Civil War Monuments in Washington, D.C." National Park Service. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
- ^ Clayman, M.A.R. (March 14, 1984). "Meade Monument Returned". The Gettysburg Times. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
- ^ "Back in Place". The Washington Post. August 17, 1983.
- ^ "George Gordon Meade Equestrian, (sculpture)". Smithsonian American Art Museum. Archived from the original on January 4, 2021. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
- ISBN 9781611212013.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ISBN 9780811708135.
Further reading
- The Memorial to Major General George Gordon Mead in Washington, D.C., by the Meade Memorial Commission, Harrisburg, 1927, OCLC 1855153
External links
- Media related to George Meade Memorial at Wikimedia Commons