Washington Square Arch (1892) – New York

There’s been talk down in D.C. of building a big, tacky triumphal arch, but that’s just the narcissistic pipe dream of a doddering demon.

Besides, the United States already has a very fine triumphal arch—right in the heart of New York City.

Location of the Washington Square Arch

The Washington Square Arch in Greenwich Village isn’t as iconic as, say, the Statue of Liberty, but I consider it a better work of art, modeled after the old triumphal arches of the Romans.

Initially designed in 1889 by Stanford White of McKim, Mead & White, a cheap wood version of the arch was first built a block north on Fifth Avenue,² planned as a temporary structure to celebrate the 100th anniversary of George Washington‘s inauguration.³

The original arch proved so popular, however, that a group of prominent men formed a committee to build a permanent monument,⁴ with the first stone laid on December 22, 1890.^{5 6}

Standing seventy feet tall and constructed of marble, the Washington Square Arch that exists today was (mostly) completed on April 6, 1892.^{7 8}

White himself helped ceremoniously place the last three stones, including the centerpiece inscription,⁹ featuring words from Washington’s inaugural address:

“Let us raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair. The event is in the hand of God.”

The quality of presidential speechwriting has really taken a nosedive, hasn’t it?

Even for all of New York’s wealth, it was a challenge to raise money for the project, which was funded entirely by private donations. The largest contribution came from Paderewski,¹⁰ a popular pianist of the 1890s—well, he wasn’t so popular with G.L. Norrman.

By the time the last stone was laid, the project’s backers were still $5000 short of the monument’s initial $128,000 cost.¹¹ Just for some perspective: Norrman’s five-story Windsor Hotel in Americus, Georgia, finished a month later, cost an estimated $150,000.

I say the Washington Square Arch was mostly completed by 1892, because it was really finished in stages over 26 years:

• The keystone eagles on both sides of the arch, designed by Philip Martiny,¹² and the trophy panels on the south facade, designed by Frederick A. MacMonnies, were installed in late 1892.¹³
• Four spandrel sculptures designed by MacMonnies were set in February 1895.¹⁴
• The first sculpted figure of George Washington, designed by Hermon A. MacNeil,¹⁵ was installed in May 1916,¹⁶ and the second, designed by A. Stirling Calder,^{17 18} was placed in February 1918.¹⁹

Good things take time.

Gallery

Elevation and Section²⁰

References

1. “The Last Stone Is Laid.” The World (New York), April 6, 1892, p. 10. ↩︎
2. “The Washington Arch.” The Evening Post (New York), April 5, 1892, p. 11. ↩︎
3. “A Noble Gift to the City.” New-York Tribune, April 30, 1895, p. 11. ↩︎
4. ibid. ↩︎
5. “The Washington Arch Completed.” New-York Daily Tribune, April 6, 1892, p. 4. ↩︎
6. “Washington Arch Completed.” The Sun (New York), April 6, 1892, p. 7. ↩︎
7. “The Last Stone Is Laid.” The World (New York), April 6, 1892, p. 10. ↩︎
8. “The Washington Arch Completed.” New-York Daily Tribune, April 6, 1892, p. 4. ↩︎
9. ibid. ↩︎
10. “Washington Arch Anniversary.” New-York Daily Tribune, April 30, 1892, p. 12. ↩︎
11. “The Washington Arch Completed.” New-York Daily Tribune, April 6, 1892, p. 4. ↩︎
12. “A Noble Gift to the City.” New-York Tribune, April 30, 1895, p. 11. ↩︎
13. ibid. ↩︎
14. “The Washington Arch Completed.” New-York Daily Tribune, February 13, 1895, p. 12. ↩︎
15. “Washington Arch To Get Its Statues”. New-York Tribune, March 23, 1914, p. 7. ↩︎
16. “Washington’s Statue for Arch Pedestal”. New York American, February 22, 1918, p. 6. ↩︎
17. “Washington Arch To Get Its Statues”. New-York Tribune, March 23, 1914, p. 7. ↩︎
18. “Washington’s Statue for Arch Pedestal”. New York American, February 22, 1918, p. 6. ↩︎
19. ibid. ↩︎
20. A Monograph of the Work of McKim Mead & White, 1879-1915. New York: The Architectural Book Publishing Company, 1915. ↩︎