Equestrian statue of George B. McClellan
38°55′00″N 77°02′47″W / 38.916667°N 77.046389°W | |
Equestrian statue of George B. McClellan | |
Part of | Civil War Monuments in Washington, D.C. |
---|---|
NRHP reference No. | 78000257[1] |
Added to NRHP | September 20, 1978[2] |
Location | Intersection of California Street, Columbia Road and Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, D.C., United States |
Designer | Frederick William MacMonnies (sculptor) James Crocroft (architect) Edmond Gruet Jeune {founder} |
Material | Bronze (sculpture) Granite (base) |
Length | 9.5 feet (2.9 m) |
Height | 31.6 feet (9.6 m) |
Opening date | May 2, 1907 |
Dedicated to | George B. McClellan |
Major General George B. McClellan is an equestrian statue in Washington, D.C. that honors politician and Civil War general George B. McClellan. The monument is sited on a prominent location in the Kalorama Triangle neighborhood due to efforts made by area residents. The statue was sculpted by American artist Frederick William MacMonnies, a graduate of the École des Beaux-Arts whose best known work is a statue of Nathan Hale in New York City. MacMonnies was chosen to design the statue following a lengthy competition organized by a statue commission, led by then Secretary of War William Howard Taft. The monument was dedicated in 1907, with prominent attendees at the ceremony including President Theodore Roosevelt, New York City mayor George B. McClellan Jr., politicians, generals and thousands of military personnel.
The sculpture 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 bronze statue, which rests on a tall granite base adorned with emblems and bronze reliefs, is surrounded by a small public park bounded by California Street, Columbia Road and Connecticut Avenue NW. The monument and park are owned and maintained by the National Park Service, a federal agency of the Interior Department.
History
Background
George B. McClellan (1826–1885) rose to prominence as a major general during the Civil War who organized the Army of the Potomac. Although he was unsuccessful in early battles, the Union victory at the Battle of Antietam temporarily halted the Confederate invasion of the northern states. He was later removed from his post by President Abraham Lincoln, whom he unsuccessfully ran against in the 1864 presidential election. McClellan ran again for public office after the war, serving as the 24th Governor of New Jersey.[3]
Shortly after McClellan's death in 1885, the Society of the Army of the Potomac, a fraternal organization consisting of Union veterans, began plans to erect a monument honoring the general.[4] It wasn't until March 3, 1901, that Congress appropriated $50,000 for the erection of the statue of McClellan.[4][5] The following month a statue commission, originally led by Secretary of War Elihu Root, Senator George P. Wetmore and General George D. Ruggles, was formed to oversee the project.[6] An advisory committee, composed of sculptors Daniel Chester French and Augustus Saint-Gaudens, and architect Charles Follen McKim, was also formed to provide recommendations to the commission.[7][8] A resolution adopted at one of the first commission meetings stated: "That the monument of Gen. McClellan be an equestrian statue, and that this resolution be communicated by the secretary to any commission hereinafter appointed to execute the work."[6]
In 1902, a design competition was held at the
In August 1903, the commission chose Frederick William MacMonnies (1863–1937), an American artist and sculptor who lived in Paris, to create the statue.[11] MacMonnies was a graduate of the École des Beaux-Arts who had apprenticed with Saint-Gaudens for four years beginning at the age of seventeen.[12] His previous works included a statue of Nathan Hale in New York City, Columbian Fountain at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago and Bacchante and Infant Faun at the Boston Public Library.[11] MacMonnies' other well-known Civil War work is the sculptural groupings on the Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch in Brooklyn, New York.[4] After his initial design was rejected due to costs overruns, he submitted a new design to the committee, which was later approved by the officials and Nelly McClellan.[4][8] The accepted design reflected the influence of MacMonnies' teacher in Paris, Alexandre Falguière, rather than Saint-Gaudens.[12] James Crocroft was chosen to design the monument while the statue was founded by Edmond Gruet Jeune.[5] The Society of the Army of the Potomac paid for the costs associated with improving the monument site.[13]
The site chosen for the monument changed several times throughout the planning process. Suggested locations included the intersection of
Dedication
The dedication of the monument was first planned for October 18, 1906, to coincide with the 37th annual reunion of the Society of the Army of the Potomac. A fire at MacMonnies' polishing works prevented him from finishing the pedestal in time, so the dedication and reunion were rescheduled for the following May.[8] During the delay, MacMonnies exhibited the statue at the 1906 Salon d'Automne in Paris before shipping it to the United States.[12] The reunion began on May 1, 1907, with opening events held at the Belasco Theater (present site of the Howard T. Markey National Courts Building), Corcoran Gallery of Art and Thomas Jefferson Building.[16]
The dedication took place on Thursday, May 2, at 2:30 pm. Prior to the ceremony, around 700 veterans gathered at the intersection of
Following an invocation by Episcopal bishop
Later history
The statue is one of eighteen Civil War monuments in Washington, D.C. that were collectively listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on September 20, 1978, and the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites on March 3, 1979. It is also designated a contributing property to the Kalorama Triangle Historic District, listed on the NRHP on May 4, 1987.[2] The monument and surrounding park are owned and maintained by the National Park Service (NPS), a federal agency of the Interior Department.[5]
In 2009, the monument underwent a $114,000 restoration by Kreilick Conservation supervised by NPS architectural conservator Catherine Dewey. It was the first major conservation of the statue since its dedication in 1907. Scaffolding and nylon mesh were installed around the monument for several months during the restoration, which included cleaning, painting and waxing the statue. Damage to the monument that was repaired during the process included removing spray paint from the base, removing water leakage inside the horse's legs and stomach, and replicating a bronze shield that was missing from the pedestal.[21][22]
Design and location
The monument is sited on a prominent location at the intersection of California Street, Columbia Road and Connecticut Avenue NW, on the southern edge of the Kalorama Triangle Historic District. The statue faces south down Connecticut Avenue toward Dupont Circle and downtown Washington, D.C. It is surrounded by a small public park.[8][23] Adjacent landmarks include the Churchill Hotel to the west, Lothrop Mansion to the north and Washington Hilton to the east.
The bronze statue is 13.6 feet (4.1 m) tall.
Inscriptions on the monument include the following:[5]
(front of the pedestal) MAJOR GENERAL / GEORGE BRINTON MCCLELLAN / 1826–1885
(rear of the pedestal) ERECTED BY THE / GRAND ARMY OF THE POTOMAC / AND THE / CONGRESS OF THE VNITED STATES / 1907
(relief on proper left side) MAC MONNIES / E. GRUET JNE FONDEUR
See also
- List of equestrian statues in the United States
- List of public art in Washington, D.C., Ward 2
- Outdoor sculpture in Washington, D.C.
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 January 24, 2014.
- ISBN 9780873386036. Archivedfrom the original on 2016-04-17. Retrieved 2015-01-24.
- ^ ISBN 9780801858611.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Major General George B. McClellan, (sculpture)". Smithsonian American Art Museum. Archived from the original on January 28, 2015. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
- ^ a b c "A M'clellan Statue". Evening Star. April 5, 1901. Archived from the original on January 28, 2015. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
- ^ a b "Were All Rejected". Evening Star. June 17, 1903. Archived from the original on January 28, 2015. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
- ^ ISBN 9781609494216. Archivedfrom the original on April 12, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
- ^ "Models to be Shown". Evening Star. March 5, 1902. Archived from the original on January 28, 2015. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
- ^ "Graceful Models for the McClellan Statue". The Washington Times. June 1, 1902. Archived from the original on January 28, 2015. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
- ^ a b "M'Monnies Selected". Evening Star. August 12, 1903. Archived from the original on January 28, 2015. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
- ^ ISBN 0-87474-149-1.
- ^ Scott, Gary (September 19, 1977). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory—Nomination Form – Civil War Monuments in Washington, D.C." National Park Service. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
- ^ "Citizens Suggest Site". Evening Star. June 1, 1906. Archived from the original on January 28, 2015. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
- ^ "Site of McClellan Statue". Evening Star. June 18, 1906. Archived from the original on January 28, 2015. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
- ^ a b "An Army of Veterans". Evening Star. May 1, 1907. Archived from the original on January 28, 2015. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
- ^ "McClellan Statue Unveiling Today". The Washington Herald. May 2, 1907. Archived from the original on January 28, 2015. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e "McClellan Statue Unveiling Today". The Washington Herald. May 2, 1907. Archived from the original on January 28, 2015. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
- ^ "Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan". The National Tribune. May 9, 1907. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
- ^ a b "Bronze Statue of 'Little Mac'". Evening Star. May 3, 1907. Archived from the original on January 28, 2015. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
- ^ Partnership for Public Service (April 15, 2014). "Preserving and restoring our nation's monuments". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 28, 2015. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
- ^ a b c Ruane, Michael E. (August 11, 2009). "Neglected D.C. Statues Restored in Effort to Conserve Public Art". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 31, 2014. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
- OCLC 777027791.
External links
- Media related to George B. McClellan statue (Washington, D.C.) at Wikimedia Commons