The Virginia Washington Monument, also known as the Washington Monument, is a 19th-century neoclassical statue of George Washington located on the public square in Richmond, Virginia. It was designed by Thomas Crawford (1814-1857) and completed under the supervision of Randolph Rogers (1825-1892) after Crawford's death.[3] It is the terminus for Grace Street. The cornerstone of the monument was laid in 1850 and it became the second equestrian statue of Washington to be unveiled in the United States (following the one in Union Square, New York City, unveiled in 1856).[4] It was not completed until 1869.[4]

Virginia Washington Monument
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Virginia Landmarks Register
Show map of Virginia Show map of the United States
Location	Capitol Square, Richmond, Virginia
Coordinates	37°32′21″N 77°26′4″W
Area	less than one acre
Built	1849–1869
Architect	Thomas Crawford (sculptor), Randolph Rogers (sculptor)
Architectural style	Greek Revival
NRHP reference No.	03001421[1]
VLR No.	127-0189
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	January 15, 2004
Designated VLR	June 18, 2003[2]

Description

The Washington Monument features a 21-foot (6.4 m), 18,000-pound (8,200 kg) bronze statue of George Washington on horseback. Below Washington, (finished after the American Civil War) includes statues of six other noted Virginians who took part in the American Revolution: Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, Andrew Lewis, John Marshall, George Mason, and Thomas Nelson Jr.[4] The lowest level has bronze female allegorical figures that represent relevant events or themes.[3]

On February 22, 1862, the monument was the location for the second inauguration of the President and Vice President of the Confederate States. The presidential oath of office was administered to Jefferson Davis by Judge J.D. Halyburton and the vice presidential oath to Alexander H. Stephens by senate president R.M.T. Hunter.[5] Elements of the statue were incorporated into the Seal of the Confederate States.[6]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Richmond, Virginia
• National symbols of the Confederate States

References

Further reading

• Historical Account of the Washington Monument, in Capitol Square, Richmond, Va., with Biographical Sketches of Thomas Jefferson, John Marshall, Partick Henry, George Mason, Thomas Nelson, and Andrew Lewis, Also a Brief Notice of the Houdon Statute of Washington, With the Inscription on the Pedestal Thereof. Richmond, Va.: W. A. R. Nye, Whig Building. 1869. LCCN 19015444. OCLC 6203579. OL 6619259M.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Virginia Washington Monument.

• Washington Monument at the Library of Congress