Columbus Fountain, also known as the Columbus Memorial, is a public artwork by American sculptor Lorado Taft , located at Union Station in Washington, D.C. , United States . A centerpiece of Columbus Circle , Columbus Fountain serves as a tribute to the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus . The unveiling in 1912 was celebrated all over Washington, DC over the course of three days with parades, concerts and fireworks gathering tens of thousands of people from all over the world.
45-414: Columbus Fountain is a semicircular double-basin fountain with a shaft (h. 45 ft.) in the center. The front of the shaft bears a full-length portrait of Christopher Columbus (approx. h. 15 ft.) wearing a mantle , staring forward with his hands folded in front of him. Beneath him is a ship prow that features a winged figurehead that represents the observation of discovery . A globe, representing
90-499: A globe representing the world, is the principal feature of the rear of the fountain and is intended to serve as a background for statue of Columbus standing at the bow of a Spanish caravel similar in general design to the picturesque craft that first brought him to America. The uprearing prow of the ship, with its figure of Columbus, stands on the line of Delaware Avenue and faces the National Capitol. Two recumbent lions are placed on
135-525: A member of the original Committee, talked about the significance of Christopher Columbus. Marquis Luigi Cusani-Confalonieri , Italian Ambassador to the United States pulled the cords after some remarks. As the Stars and Stripes fell away from the statue, a battery from the 3rd Field Artillery from Fort Myer fired a 21-gun salute . Wreaths were laid by several officials and organizations. President Taft provided
180-490: A particular area, especially in the sense of carrying on for a previous figure. The most notable appearance in the Bible is in 2 Kings 2 :13, where Elisha takes up Elijah 's mantle ( Hebrew : אדרת ’addereṯ ). A variation on the mantle is the mantelet (also spelled mantelot and mantlet ), typically describing a short version of the mantle. The term appears as early as 1386, in " The Knight's Tale " by Geoffrey Chaucer . In
225-608: A share of $ 2 million in grants under the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Partners in Preservation program. In July 2024, the fountain was vandalized with graffiti by people protesting a speech given to the U.S. Congress by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , with messages written such as “ Hamas is coming”, “Free Gaza ”, “Long Live Resistance ” and “All Zionists Are Bastards”. Zaid Mohammad Mahdawi who wrote
270-586: A ship prow holding a trumpet and a representational figure of Time dominating the stern . Six sculptors, in particular, were to be invited to this competition by the Committee: The competition was to remain open to other sculptors and all submissions were to be sent by the Committee before or on December 1, 1908. The second and third best designers would get $ 500 each while the first prize would receive $ 20,000. Frederick W. MacMonnies and Daniel C. French informed
315-711: A weather-resistant plaster, were destroyed with the exhibition buildings, but the successful effect they produced led to further similar commissions at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York (1901) and the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St Louis (1904). His growing reputation led to his only medal, an award medal for the 1895 Cotton States and International Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia. Though he
360-624: Is in New York City, though he provided bas-reliefs for the Art Institute of Chicago and for government buildings in Washington, DC. Martiny was one of the colony who gathered round Saint-Gaudens at Cornish, New Hampshire . Martiny was one of the large team of decorative sculptors assembled to carry out details for the World's Columbian Exposition , Chicago, 1893, where he settled for a year to carry out
405-471: The 59th United States Congress approved HR 13304: That there shall be erected in the city of Washington, in the District of Columbia, a suitable memorial to the memory of Christopher Columbus. Section 2 provided the creation of a Commission shall be created consisting of: The powers of the commission would include the full authority to select a site and a suitable design and to contract for and superintend
450-614: The Archives of American Art , shows Kenyon Cox , Richard Watson Gilder , Martiny, Francis Davis Millet , Saint-Gaudens, Julian Alden Weir and Stanford White . He often worked in cooperation with architects in Beaux-Arts architecture . He lived in Bayside, Long Island , and had a sculpture studio in McDougal Alley, a fashionable former mews behind Washington Square Park . Much of his work
495-586: The New York Art Commission's authority to accept or reject sculpture by Henry Kirke Bush-Brown and Martiny for the building. Daniel Chester French was called in to offer suggestions for improved subjects which Martiny finished in 1907. In the midst of the project Martiny was interviewed for The New York Times giving the first impression that Martiny operated a commercial sculpture factory "where Art rubs elbows cheerfully, indiscriminately, with Life's less romantic work" but ending with admiration for
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#1732858955395540-624: The St. Patrick's Catholic Church for military mass with Cardinal James Gibbons . An estimated 10,000 people were believed to attend the mass. At 8:00 pm, a final public concert was held at the Convention Hall featuring the US Marine Band and Symphony Orchestra of sixty pieces. Every year Columbus Day celebrations are held featuring the US Marine Corps Band and a wreath laying ceremony. It
585-659: The Western hemisphere , is on top of the shaft with four eagles on each corner connected by garland . The left and right sides of the shaft have two male figures decorating them. The right side figure has an elderly man , representing the Old World , and the left side has a figure of a Native American , representing the New World . The back of the shaft has a low-relief medallion (approx. d. 3 ft.) with images of Ferdinand & Isabella . Two lions (approx. h. 5 ft.), placed away from
630-485: The 12th to the 16th century by both sexes, although by the 19th century, it was used to describe any loose-fitting, shaped outer garment similar to a cape. For example, the dolman , a 19th-century cape-like woman's garment with partial sleeves is often described as a mantle. In English, the idiom "to take up/pick up/assume the mantle" is from the Bible , and means to take a position of authority, leadership or responsibility in
675-427: The 18th century, a mantelet was a woman's short cloak, and in the early 19th century, it was an ornamental scarf that crossed over the chest and tied behind, usually made of fur or lace . By the end of the 19th century, a mantelet was a woman's shoulder cape with elongated ends in front, sometimes held in position by a belt at the waist. Philip Martiny Philip H. Martiny (May 19, 1858 – June 26, 1927)
720-622: The Committee they would be unable to participate as they had other engagements at the time. In all, twenty sculptors submitted proposals for the fountain including: Henri Cronier, Philip Martiny , Charles Keck , Augustus Lukeman , Alfred Sauder, Henry Hering , Charles J. Pike, Pierre Feitu, Leo Lentelli , John C. Hardy, John K. Daniels, Hans Schuler , Giuseppi Donato, J. Otto Schweizer, V.R. Hoxie, Augustin Querol, Louis Weingartner and Lorado Taft. The models received were put on display in December 1908 in
765-574: The Juvenile Court. At the same time, an Automobile pageant was taking place near the White House with 50,000 people lining up on both sides. Participating vehicles gathered at The Ellipse starting at 7:00 pm. The parade moved at 7:30 pm following a predetermined route: Pass between the Treasury Department and the White House to H Street NW; west to 16th Street NW; north to Scott Circle; around
810-507: The Order of the Knights of Columbus . W. R. Pedigo was the secretary and Col. Charles S. Broniwell. US Army was the executive and disbursing officer. William H. Taft was no longer on the committee as he had resigned as Secretary of War on June 30 to devote himself to his campaign to become the 27th President of the United States. On February 13, 1909, it was decided that the public would be able to view
855-529: The base, guard the left and right side of the fountain. The back of the shaft is inscribed: The fountain sits in the center of the Columbus traffic circle in front of Union Station. A very different fountain was originally planned for the circle in front of Union Station. But lobbying began in 1906 for a memorial by the Knights of Columbus . The location was not specified at the time. On March 4, 1907, at 11:00 am,
900-511: The circle back on 16th Street NW to H Street NW; west to 17th Street NW; south to Pennsylvania Avenue NW; east to Executive Avenue NW; south between White House and State, War and Navy Building; back of White House to Pennsylvania Avenue NW; east to the Peace Monument ; back over Pennsylvania Avenue NW to the White Lot. The Knights of Columbus headed up the dedication ceremony on June 8, 1912. It
945-524: The civic portion. General Robert K. Evans , Chief of Military Affairs, served as the parade marshal, riding at the front of the parade. He was followed by the Army Contingent composed of the following (in order): This was followed by the Navy and Marines with each its own band playing. The civic portion of the parade was composed of Knights of Columbus members from all over the country. The Civic portion went in
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#1732858955395990-410: The clay models for many somewhat facile decorative allegorical figures, cherubs, caryatids and the like. Karl Bitter diplomatically characterised Martiny's technique: He works with incredible rapidity and apparently with little reflection, but always with such an instinct for the right thing, decoratively speaking, that he rarely fails in his results The sculptures, which were carried out in staff,
1035-400: The committee before midnight on July 28, 1911. The envelopes would be opened publicly. The ad ran in local newspapers from June 26, 1911 to June 29, 1911 as well as on July 24 and 25, 1911. The contract was awarded to J. C. Richardson & Son of New York. The bid was for $ 21,854 for everything excluding the carvings. Architect Edward Wilmann of D. H. Burnham & Company was put in charge of
1080-658: The construction of [the] said memorial. Section 3 provided the Commission $ 100,000 from the Treasury of the United States not otherwise appropriated. In May 1907, a commission was formed for the memorial fountain headed by prominent members of the Senate, Secretary of State Elihu Root and Secretary of War William H. Taft (who was elected President of the United-States the following year) which served as committee chairman. Upon agreeing on
1125-485: The construction of the piece. On October 31, 1911 construction, which was supervised by A. W. Taylor of J.C. Robinson & Son, began and the piece was installed from March–June 1912. There was great excitement in anticipation of the upcoming unveiling. A committee was formed to organize the celebration with various subcommittees to organize the various events organized for Friday, June 7, 1912 through Sunday, June 9, 1912. Friday, June 7, Knights of Columbus from around
1170-513: The fifth-floor corridor of the State, War and Navy Departement Building. They were screened until the Committee was ready to review all the proposals. The identities of the artists who had responded were also withheld from the public. By that time, the Committee was composed of Senator George P. Wetmore of Rhode Island, James McCleary of Minnesota, Secretary of State Elihu Root , Secretary of War Luke E. Wright , and Edward L. Hearn , Supreme Knight of
1215-497: The following order: Five Parade floats depicting Christopher Columbus' trials and tribulations followed behind. The floats included: The route of parade was as follow: Pennsylvania Avenue NW to 2rd Street NW; north on 2rd Street NW to F Street NW; on F street NW to Massachusetts Avenue NW. This is where the reviewing stand stood, where President Taft and his guests reviewed the parade on Union Station Plaza. From Massachusetts Avenue to Stanton Square (later known Stanton Park ) where
1260-690: The formal address followed by a selection of pieces performed by the Marine Band. All the ushers at the ceremony were all members of the Sons of the American Revolution . At 8:00 pm, a public banquet was held at the Convention Hall at the intersection of K Street NW and 5th Street NE with 1830 Knights of Columbus present. Plates were sold for $ 10. In honor of the visiting Knights, the District Building
1305-669: The fountain has fallen into a state of disrepair. According to the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation (USRC), the fountain suffers from significant structural issues. The statues have been painted over to hide the discolorations and the fountain basins are boarded up to avoid further damage as the plumbing does not function. On May 25, 2016, the National Park Services and the USRC announced that Fountain had been selected as one of 20 historic places to compete for
1350-440: The general scheme proposed by Architect Daniel Burnham was approved by the commission. The Evening Star enumerates the exacts details of the design: The fountain will be placed directly in front of Union station at the juncture of Delaware and Massachusetts avenues. It will be semi-circular in form, with an inner and an outer basin, having an extreme width of 64 feet. A stone column or shaft about 10 feet in height, surmounted with
1395-560: The graffiti supporting Hamas was later arrested by the United States Park Police and the FBI. Mantle (clothing) A mantle (from old French mantel , from mantellum , the Latin term for a cloak ) is a type of loose garment usually worn over indoor clothing to serve the same purpose as an overcoat . Technically, the term describes a long, loose cape -like cloak worn from
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1440-428: The location for the fountain, a call for designs was requested by artists from America, Italy and Spain. The reason for the three countries stemmed from the committee idea that "if it should be from the hand of an American, the land which Columbus gave to the world; from an Italian, the land which gave Columbus to the world, or from Spain, the land which made Columbus's achievement possible." On March 20, 1908, details of
1485-512: The materials (bronze and granite) as well as the labor for carvings, casting, transportation to the site and setting the memorial in place. The newspapers did not fail to mention that the winner was a cousin of President-elect William H. Taft. Bids for the construction of the fountain and base were open from June 20, 1911 to July 28, 1911. The ad called for "sealed proposals for stonework (granite or marble) for foundations, concrete piles, masonry, etc., and for plumbing and sewers" to be submitted to
1530-399: The models prior to the determination of the winner. The reception of the models by the press was poor. The main complaint was with the Committee and not the artists. The artists had very limited artistic freedom considering the very precise parameters given by the committee to be incorporated in the fountain and it was admirable that they had been able to provide so many different expressions to
1575-596: The new National Museum (now known as the National Museum of Natural History ) which opened the previous year with music played by the United States Marine Band and the presence of the Columbus Memorial commission. 4,000 people attended the event with music and a ball. Among the dignitaries present were DC Commissioner Cuno Hugo Rudolph, Senator Henry F. Ashurst of Arizona and Judge William H. De Lacy of
1620-614: The parade was reviewed by the Knights of Columbus. The unveiling of the artwork was done on a beautiful sunny day with thousands of citizens and visitors attending the ceremony. Secretary of State Philander Knox was the presiding officer. The ceremony followed this order. An invocation was given by Mgr. Thomas Shahan , the Rector of the Catholic University of America. It was followed by an address from Chief Justice Victor J. Dowling . The Marine Band played. Representative James McCreary,
1665-690: The sculptor's likeness of the late President McKinley. After the First World War, Martiny received two commissions for colossal figures commemorating the fallen soldiers: the Chelsea Park Memorial, at 28th Street and 9th Avenue and the memorial in Abingdon Square Park, where 8th Avenue commences. Martiny married twice and had eight children. A debilitating stroke ended his career, and a second one finished his life. His papers, compiled by Martiny's grandson, Raymond J. Linder, are conserved in
1710-493: The status of Christopher Columbus. On February 27, 1909, the Committee announced the winner of the competition. Lorado Taft was awarded the honor of making the statue of Columbus as well as all the other sculptures surrounding it and $ 20,000. The second place was given to Philip Martigny and the third place to Augustin Quero, each receiving $ 500. The remaining of the funds allocated to this project ($ 79,000) were to be used to provide all
1755-451: The walls of the fountain, one at the east and the other at the west side and there are other architectural and artistic details embodied in the general scheme. It was influenced by a fountain designed by Frederick MacMonnies that was displayed at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. This work depicted a figure of Columbia sitting on a ship with a figure of Fame standing on
1800-586: The world gathered in Washington. They visited the tomb of George Washington at Mount Vernon . An ad published in the Washington Herald and Washington Times on June 7 indicates that the Washington-Virginia Electric Railway was the "Official Route" of the Knight of Columbus to Mount Vernon leaving from 12th Street and Pennsylvania Ave. From 7:30 to 10:30 pm, a public reception was held at
1845-599: Was a French-American sculptor who worked in the Paris atelier of Eugene Dock , where he became foreman before emigrating to New York in 1878—to avoid conscription in the French army, he later claimed. In the United States he found work with Augustus Saint-Gaudens , with whom he remained five years; a fellow worker in Saint-Gaudens' shop was Frederick MacMonnies . A group photograph taken in Saint-Gaudens's studio about 1883, conserved in
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1890-642: Was a member of the National Sculpture Society , Philip Martiny was not considered by his contemporaries as a sculptor of the first rank, and the assignation to him by the Tammany Hall architects given the plum project of completing designs for the New York City Hall of Records (later the Surrogate's Court) after the architect John R. Thomas 's unexpected death in 1901, raised objections that tested
1935-634: Was added to the National Register of Historic Places , on March 7, 1968. In October 1991 the memorial was spray painted with graffiti reading "500 Years of Genocide" during a wreath-laying ceremony by the Knights of Columbus ("500 Years of Faith") and the National Park Service removed it with surface cleaners. In March 1994 the work was surveyed by the Save Outdoor Sculpture! program and was described as needing treatment. As of 2014,
1980-408: Was estimated that at least 150,000 people were expected to attend the opening. Congress supplied an extra $ 6,000 for expanded police security, with the Knights requesting at least 500 officers to participate. $ 10,000 was contributed by the Knights of Columbus for the event decorations, supplies and general planning. A parade was planned starting at 3:00 pm featuring an estimated 50,000 participants for
2025-524: Was illuminated from 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm and an invitation issued to the public to visit the building from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. Police forces were also on standby to accommodate this increase in population. At the same time, a firing of salute was taking place near the White House followed by fireworks from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm. A large crowd gathered on The Ellipse to watch as stars and as the Santa Maria were displayed. On Sunday at 7:00 am, veterans assembled at
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