Smith Memorial Arch
Encyclopedia
Smith Memorial Arch is an American Civil War
monument at South Concourse and Lansdowne Drive in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. Built on the former grounds of the 1876 Centennial Exposition, it serves as a gateway to West Fairmount Park
. The Memorial consists of two colossal columns supported by curving, neo-Baroque arches, and adorned with thirteen individual portrait sculptures (2 equestrians, 3 figures, and 8 busts); two eagles standing on globes; and architectural reliefs of 8 allegorical figures.
; and that the selection and supervision of sculptors for the specified portraits should be handled by the Fairmount Park Art Association
.
The will went into effect upon the death of Smith's wife in 1895, but it was not until 1897 that the Fairmount Park Art Association began work on selecting the sculptors. On May 8, 1898, the initial commissions were awarded, but it took until 1912 before the last sculpture was completed and installed on the arch.
The Estate of Richard and Sarah Smith also funded the creation of Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse
, in East Fairmount Park
.
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
monument at South Concourse and Lansdowne Drive in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. Built on the former grounds of the 1876 Centennial Exposition, it serves as a gateway to West Fairmount Park
Fairmount Park
Fairmount Park is the municipal park system of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It consists of 63 parks, with , all overseen by the Philadelphia Department of Parks and Recreation, successor to the Fairmount Park Commission in 2010.-Fairmount Park proper:...
. The Memorial consists of two colossal columns supported by curving, neo-Baroque arches, and adorned with thirteen individual portrait sculptures (2 equestrians, 3 figures, and 8 busts); two eagles standing on globes; and architectural reliefs of 8 allegorical figures.
History
In 1891, Richard Smith (1821-1894), a wealthy Philadelphia electroplate and type founder, created a will which provided $500,000 for a memorial arch to be adorned with portraits of Pennsylvania's Civil War military and naval heroes. Smith deposited the model and designs for the memorial with the Fidelity Insurance Trust and Safe Deposit Company and stipulated that John B. Gest, president of Fidelity, should handle his request; that the architectural designs and construction should be handled by Philadelphia architect James H. WindrimJames H. Windrim
James Hamilton Windrim was a Philadelphia architect who specialized in public buildings.-Biography:Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he apprenticed under John Notman, and opened his own office in 1867...
; and that the selection and supervision of sculptors for the specified portraits should be handled by the Fairmount Park Art Association
Fairmount Park Art Association
The Fairmount Park Art Association was founded in 1872 in Philadelphia to provide public art in Fairmount Park. The Association now maintains and provides information to the public for outdoor sculpture throughout Philadelphia....
.
The will went into effect upon the death of Smith's wife in 1895, but it was not until 1897 that the Fairmount Park Art Association began work on selecting the sculptors. On May 8, 1898, the initial commissions were awarded, but it took until 1912 before the last sculpture was completed and installed on the arch.
The Estate of Richard and Sarah Smith also funded the creation of Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse
Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse
Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse is a free young children's playground near North 33rd Street and Oxford Avenue in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, within the borders of Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
, in East Fairmount Park
Fairmount Park
Fairmount Park is the municipal park system of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It consists of 63 parks, with , all overseen by the Philadelphia Department of Parks and Recreation, successor to the Fairmount Park Commission in 2010.-Fairmount Park proper:...
.
Statues
- Major General George Gordon MeadeGeorge MeadeGeorge Gordon Meade was a career United States Army officer and civil engineer involved in coastal construction, including several lighthouses. He fought with distinction in the Second Seminole War and Mexican-American War. During the American Civil War he served as a Union general, rising from...
by Daniel Chester FrenchDaniel Chester FrenchDaniel Chester French was an American sculptor. His best-known work is the sculpture of a seated Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.-Life and career:...
(atop south column). - Major General John Fulton Reynolds by Charles GraflyCharles GraflyCharles Allan Grafly, Jr. was an American sculptor and educator. He taught at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts for 37 years.-Life and career:...
(atop north column). - Richard Smith (donor of the Memorial) by Herbert Adams (on pedestal of north column).
Equestrian statues
- Major General George B. McClellanGeorge B. McClellanGeorge Brinton McClellan was a major general during the American Civil War. He organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly as the general-in-chief of the Union Army. Early in the war, McClellan played an important role in raising a well-trained and organized army for the Union...
by Edward Clark PotterEdward Clark PotterEdward Clark Potter was an American sculptor best known for his equestrian and animal statues. His works include the "Fortitude" lion in front of the New York Public Library.-Early years:...
(atop south pier). - Major General Winfield Scott HancockWinfield Scott HancockWinfield Scott Hancock was a career U.S. Army officer and the Democratic nominee for President of the United States in 1880. He served with distinction in the Army for four decades, including service in the Mexican-American War and as a Union general in the American Civil War...
by John Quincy Adams WardJohn Quincy Adams WardJohn Quincy Adams Ward was an American sculptor, who is most familiar for his over-lifesize standing statue of George Washington on the steps of Federal Hall on Wall Street.-Early years:...
(atop north pier).
Busts
- Major General John F. HartranftJohn F. HartranftJohn Frederick Hartranft was the 17th Governor of Pennsylvania from 1873 to 1879 and a Union Major General who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the American Civil War.-Early life and career:...
by Alexander Stirling CalderAlexander Stirling CalderAlexander Stirling Calder was an American sculptor and teacher; son of the sculptor Alexander Milne Calder, and father of the sculptor Alexander Calder...
. - Major General Samuel W. CrawfordSamuel W. CrawfordSamuel Wylie Crawford was a United States Army surgeon and a Union general in the American Civil War.-Early life:...
by Bessie Potter VonnohBessie Potter VonnohBessie Potter Vonnoh was an American sculptor best known for her small bronzes, mostly of domestic scenes, and for her garden fountains.- Early years :...
. - General James Addams Beaver by Katherine M. Cohen.
- Admiral David Dixon PorterDavid Dixon PorterDavid Dixon Porter was a member of one of the most distinguished families in the history of the United States Navy. Promoted as the second man to the rank of admiral, after his adoptive brother David G...
by Charles GraflyCharles GraflyCharles Allan Grafly, Jr. was an American sculptor and educator. He taught at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts for 37 years.-Life and career:...
. - Admiral John A. B. DahlgrenJohn A. DahlgrenJohn Adolphus Bernard Dahlgren was a United States Navy leader. He headed the Union Navy's ordnance department during the American Civil War and designed several different kinds of guns and cannons that were considered part of the reason the Union won the war...
by George Bissell. - Governor Andrew Gregg CurtinAndrew Gregg CurtinAndrew Gregg Curtin was a U.S. lawyer and politician. He served as the Governor of Pennsylvania during the Civil War.-Biography:...
by Moses Jacob EzekielMoses Jacob EzekielMoses Jacob Ezekiel was an American sculptor who lived and worked in Rome for the majority of his career. In the American Civil War, he was a highly-decorated soldier in the Confederate States Army.-Biography:...
. - James H. WindrimJames H. WindrimJames Hamilton Windrim was a Philadelphia architect who specialized in public buildings.-Biography:Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he apprenticed under John Notman, and opened his own office in 1867...
(architect of the Memorial) by Samuel MurraySamuel MurraySamuel Aloysius Murray was an American sculptor, and protégé of the painter Thomas Eakins.-Murray and Eakins:...
. - John B. Gest (executor of Richard Smith's estate) by Charles GraflyCharles GraflyCharles Allan Grafly, Jr. was an American sculptor and educator. He taught at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts for 37 years.-Life and career:...
.
Other sculpture
- Two eagles standing on globes by John Massey Rhind.
- Eight bas-relief allegorical figures by
- The Memorial's frieze is carved with the names of 84 Pennsylvania veterans.
- The Memorial's inscription reads:
THIS/ MONUMENTAL MEMORIAL/ PRESENTED BY/ RICHARD SMITH/ TYPE FOUNDER/ OF PHILADELPHIA –/ IN MEMORY OF/ PENNSYLVANIANS WHO/ TOOK PART IN THE CIVIL WAR/ THEIR STRIFE WAS NOT FOR/ AGGRANDIZEMENT AND WHEN/ CONFLICT CEASED THE NORTH/ WITH THE SOUTH UNITED AGAIN/ TO ENJOY THE COMMON HERITAGE/ LEFT BY THE FATHERS OF OUR/ COUNTRY RESOLVING THAT/ THEREAFTER ALL OUR PEOPLE/ SHOULD DWELL TOGETHER/ IN UNITY.
External links
- Smith Memorial Arch, from Philadelphia Public Art
- Smith Memorial Arch, from Historic American Buildings Survey
- http://siris-artinventories.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=126A87P90826L.29938&profile=ariall&source=~!siartinventories&view=subscriptionsummary&uri=full=3100001~!14493~!91&ri=3&aspect=Browse&menu=search&ipp=20&spp=20&staffonly=&term=Murray%2C+Samuel%2C+1870-1941%2C+sculptor.&index=&uindex=&aspect=Browse&menu=search&ri=3#focusSmith Memorial Arch, from Smithsonian Institution Research Information System]