Statue: John Ericsson Location: West Potomac Park, 23rd Street and Ohio Drive, SW Sculptor: James Earle Fraser Dedication: May 29, 1926 Cost to Taxpayer: $35,000 One year after the death of John Ericsson a bill requesting $30,000 for a memorial to him was proposed in the Senate and referred to the House Library Committee. Apparently…
Mary McLeod Bethune
Statue: Mary McLeod Bethune (July 10, 1875 – May 18, 1955) Location: Lincoln Park, 12th and East Capitol Streets, SE Dedication: July 10, 1974, 10:30am Sculptor: Robert Berks Cost to Taxpayer: $0, $100,000 raised and contributed by the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) On July 10, 1974, on what would have been Mary Bethune’s…
Guglielmo Marconi
Statue: Guglielmo Marconi, April 25, 1874 – July 20, 1937 Location: 16th Street and Lamont Street, NW Sculptor: Attilio Piccarilli Architect: Joseph H. Freedlander Landscape Architect: Joseph C. Gardner Dedication: July 1941 Cost to Taxpayer: $0, $35,000 raised and contributed by the Marconi Memorial Foundation, Inc. New York Within months after the death of Guglielmo Marconi there…
Play Ball!
It’s opening weekend of baseball … Every President since Taft has thrown out at least one ceremonial first ball or pitch, usually for Opening Day. Here are photos of Taft up to Carter throwing out the first pitch.
Tomas Garrigue Masaryk
Statue: Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, March 7, 1850 – September 14, 1937 Location: triangle park at Massachusetts and 22nd Street, NW Dedication Ceremony: November 2002 Completion Ceremony: March 8, 2003, 2pm Sculptor: Vincene Makovsky, Czech Cost: $0, $757,000 for the American Friends of the Czech Republic The Masaryk statue was a gift to the United States…
James Cardinal Gibbons
Memorial: James Gibbons (July 23, 1834 – March 24, 1921) Unveiling: August 14, 1932, 3:30 p.m. Location: Sixteen Street and Park Road, NW Sculptor: Leo Lentelli Cost: No cost to the United States, donated by the Knights of Columbus The unveiling coincided with the golden jubilee convention of the Knights of Columbus, who gave dedicated…
National Cherry Blossom Festival
This year’s Cherry Blossom Festival begins Sunday, March 20 and runs through April 17. The Cherry Blossom Festival Parade will be help on April 16, from 10AM – Noon. More information…
Octagon House
The Octagon house is one of the oldest houses in downtown Washington, D.C. The often and easily overlooked house is a beautifully maintained example of an 18th Century house. The Octagon House, at 1799 New York Avenue NW, is actually 6-sided and was designed by William Thornton who also designed the Capital Building, and built…