Archive for April, 2009
Union Soldiers & Sailors Monument in Charles Village
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W 29th Street & N Charles Street (Street View)
GPS: 39° 19′ 25.64″ N 76° 37′ 4.17″ W
History
This work, by Adolph A. Weinman, was dedicated in 1909, and originally sat in Druid Hill Park (depicted in this postcard). It was moved to its current location in 1959 to make way for an expressway. The monument depicts a Union soldier striding forward with the Goddess Victory to his right and the Goddess Bellona (War) to his left. Behind Bellona rises a fig tree. Reliefs on the north and south sides of the base, respectively, depict a land battle and a naval battle. A third relief on the back of the monument’s pedestal shows an eagle perched on a shield between sword and anchor.
Notes
The Union Soldiers & Sailors Monument has the distinction of being the only public Civil War monument in the city to pay homage to the Northern/Union sacrifices made during that conflict. Diagonally north-east across Wyman Park on Art Museum Drive is the double-equestrian Lee and Jackson Memorial. Not far from that is the Confederate Women monument to the north across Hopkins campus.
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Lee and Jackson Commission
Apparently Hans Schuler had created a model for the Lee and Jackson Monument but the commission went to Laura Gardin Frazer. Great article on Baltimore’s most famous realist sculptor in the City Paper. The author visits Schuler’s school and talks to his granddaughter.
[Source]
And there are models for sculptures that, like the Four Horsemen, never made it to full size. When I happened to make favorable mention of Laura Gardin Frazer’s Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson monument in Wyman Park, I saw a cloud pass over Franscesca Schuler’s face. Did I say something wrong? She pointed out her grandfather’s Lee and Jackson, in two small plaster versions. A committee, she said, gave Frazer the commission.
Union Soldiers and Sailors at Druid Lake
[Source]
The central bronze figure of the Union Soldiers and Sailor Monument, at the foot of the steep embankment of Druid Lake, is a soldier turning from the plow and anvil to the sword. Unveiled in 1909, it is the work of A A Weinman.
Christopher Columbus Obelisk
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Harford Road & Walther Avenue, near Lake Montebello (Street View)
GPS: 39° 20′ 10.82″ N 76° 34′ 28.74″ W
History
To commemorate the three-hundred year anniversary of Columbus discovering America, a forty-four foot obelisk was erected in Charm City. Made of brick with a stucco finish, the monument to Columbus is the oldest in the country, and world, that is still standing. Originally it was placed on the estate of French Consul to Baltimore, Charles Francois Adrian De Paulmier, Chevalier d’Anmour, and was moved to its current location in 1964. Rumor has it that one evening De Paulmier was entertaining guests, which he did frequently, and they started discussing the great men of the western world. It was mentioned that there was not a single monument to Christopher Columbus in America. De Paulmier promised to change this fact, placing the monolith on his property shortly thereafter.
Notes
Directly across the street from Herring Run Park, northeast of Lake Montebello on Harford Road, the memorial is tucked into a wooded corner. A well-trimmed hedge and garden encircle the obelisk and enormous aged trees tower around the structure. The park surroundings are as tranquil as any in the city, making this one of the finer environments I have found a monument in. The inscription on the front reads: Sacred to the Memory of Chris. Columbus Oct. XII MDCC VIIIC.
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General Casimir Pulaski Monument in Patterson Park
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S Linwood Avenue & Eastern Avenue (Street View)
GPS: 39° 17′ 13.47″ N 76° 34′ 36.93″ W
History
After years of fighting Russian occupiers in defense of Poland, Kazimierz Pulaski was eventually forced from his homeland. His role in forming the Bar Confederation, the group responsible for Poland’s first uprising, had cost him is freedom. Sentenced to death, he fled to France where he was recruited by General La Fayette to fight in the American Revolution.
Known as the “father of the American cavalry” for his courageous and intuitive techniques, the soldier of fortune was a friend of Ben Franklin. In 1777, at the Battle of Brandywine, he saved George Washington’s life and was promoted to brigadier general. Due to his inability to speak English he relinquished this post and became America’s “Commander of the Horse,” a position he held until his untimely death. The magnificent relief sculpture depicts General Pulaski and Captain Paul Bentalou leading their cavalry at the Siege of Savannah. Behind the two men are more soldiers and horses in full battle march. Pulaski was shot in the thigh during the fight and died two days later.
Notes
Placed at the southeast corner of Patterson Park, the Pulaski Monument is an imposing combination of art and architecture. The area surrounding the structure is circled by a fence and a long walkway leads to the memorial. Commissioned in 1929, by the General Pulaski Monument Committee, the memorial faced a series of set-backs before it’s final completion in 1951. After collecting and saving funds, primarily from the Polish community, the project stalled when the bank, where the money was kept, went under during the Great Depression. Then, during WWII, bronze became difficult to obtain and inflation increased the cost beyond the estimated amount. It wasn’t until the State of Maryland and the City of Baltimore stepped in to provide additional financial support that the sculpture was completed. Restoration of the monument took place in 2002. Hans Schuler created the relief with A. C. Radziszewski acting as architect.
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Links
- On Panoramio & Flickr [2]
- Smithsonian entry
Baltimore’s Edgar Allan Poe Monument
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W Mount Royal Avenue & Maryland Avenue (Street View)
GPS: 39° 18′ 20.33″ N 76° 37′ 2.39″ W
History
The Edgar Allan Poe Monument was dedicated on October 20, 1921 and is by artist Moses J. Ezekiel. It was originally placed in Wyman Park at the corner of 29th Street. Interestingly, the first model for this monument was destroyed in a custom house fire, the second was destroyed in an earthquake and the third was delayed many years during WWI from being shipped across the Atlantic (Ezekiel, though born in the U. S., lived and worked in Rome, Italy).
The original base, now lost, also has a strange history. It contained two misspellings in its dedication quote, one of which was eventually corrected by a vigilante-fan named Edmond Fontaine. In 1930 Fontaine chiseled the unnecessary “s” from the statue’s base, was arrested, spent the night in jail and was released the next day. He was never charged for the corrective crime. Poe’s monument was moved from Wyman Park to its current location in the Law Center Plaza, outside the University of Baltimore on Mount Royal Avenue, in 1983.
Notes
Edgar Allan Poe was laid to rest at Westminster Hall and Burying Ground in Baltimore. The controversy over his demise is perhaps not surprising since much of his work dealt with the vicissitudes of death.
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Conradin Kreutzer Bust in Patterson Park
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Gough Street & S Patterson Park Avenue, just inside the park
GPS: 39° 17′ 17.78″ N 76° 35′ 1.54″ W
History
Given to the City by the United Singers of Baltimore in 1915, the Conradin Kreutzer statue was won, by the group, in a singing contest that same year. Saengerfest, a German cultural event American communities have been celebrating since 1849, focuses primarily on choral performances. In 1900, the same group won first prize, receiving the Wagner bust now placed in Druid Hill Park. Both pieces were created by R P Golde, a German sculptor who lived in New York City.
Notes
Following the trail south from the observatory, the Kreutzer monument is about one city block on the right. The inscription on the pedestal’s front reads: “Conradin Kreutzer, First City Prize won the the United Singers at the 24th National Saengerfest.” The winning song was written by F Langer.
Nearby
Links
- On Panoramio [2] & Flickr
- Conradin Kreutzer
Star-Spangled Banner Centennial Monument
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E Pratt Street & S Patterson Park Avenue, next to the Pagoda
GPS: 39° 17′ 23.74″ N 76° 35′ 0.99″ W
History
The Centennial Celebration of the Star-Spangled Banner was a week long event held in Baltimore in 1914. The festivities marked the city’s successful defense of it’s borders during the War of 1812. The ceremonies included parades, balls, parties, performances and numerous monument dedications. J. Maxwell Miller, a close friend and colleague of artists Edward Berge and Hans Schuler, produced the Star-Spangled Banner Memorial for the occasion. The sculpture depicts two school children holding a scroll that reads: “To commemorate the centennial of the writing of the Star-Spangled Banner, the pupils of the public schools of Baltimore have erected this memorial upon Hampstead Hill where in September, 1814, the citizen soldiers of Maryland stood ready to sacrifice their lives in defense of their homes and their country.”
Notes
Situated in the vicinity of Commodore John Rodgers’ headquarters during the Battle of Baltimore, the monument stands next to the Pagoda on historic Hampstead Hill.
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Rodgers’ Bastion Memorial Cannon in Patterson Park
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E Pratt Street & S Patterson Park Avenue, next to the Pagoda
GPS: 39° 17′ 23.45″ N 76° 35′ 1.62″ W
History
In 1814, after the sacking of Washington, British troops marched on Baltimore, attacking by sea and by land. Britain wished to put an end to American privateering, and considered Baltimore’s port to be a haven for pirates. They attempted to sail past Fort McHenry while sending ground troops through what was then known as North Point. The two-pronged attack was doomed to fail. Commodore John Rodgers, a famous Navy General, was in command of ground troops stationed on Hampstead Hill in Patterson Park. He had over 12,000 volunteers and 100 cannons, strategically placed, ready to defend Charm City. On the way into Baltimore, British General Robert Ross, who helped defeat Napoleon, was shot and killed. The loss of field leadership coupled with bad weather and little support from their flotilla forced the British into an early retreat. The flag still hung at Fort McHenry the next day, and the Star-Spangled Banner was written. America was safe, and the defense of Baltimore had been successful. The cannon monument was dedicated in 1914 during the centennial celebration of the War of 1812 and the Battle of Baltimore.
Notes
Just off the northwest entrance to Patterson Park, the monument stands below the pagoda. The Star-Spangled Banner Centennial Memorial rests a few paces northeast and several more cannons flank the area. The location provides an impressive view of the park and city beyond.
Nearby
- The Star-Spangled Banner Centennial Memorial
- Conradin Kreutzer Memorial Bust
- General Casimir Pulaski Monument
Links
- On Panoramio & Flickr [2]
- Article at pattersonpark.com
- Dundalk-Patapsco Neck Historical Society
Sea Urchin Statue at Johns Hopkins University
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Decker Gardens at Johns Hopkins University’s Homewood campus
GPS: 39° 19′ 46.79″ N 76° 37′ 20.60″ W
History
In 1926, Edward Berge‘s Sea Urchin, was installed in front of the Lafayette Monument at Mount Vernon Place. Thirty-four years later his son, Henry Berge, created a larger copy of the statue, replacing the original. The smaller cast was then donated by Frank R. Huber, the man financially responsible for the 7’10″ reproduction, to Paul M. Higinbotham, who gave the sculpture to Johns Hopkins University.
Notes
The sea urchin sits inside a lily pond on the front lawn of the school president’s home. The man made lagoon features a fountain at the base of the statue, and is dedicated to trustee Alonzo G. Decker, Jr. Just south of the historic Homewood House Museum, the Decker gardens provide a remote hideaway on campus grounds. A bench at the edge of the park offers a perfect seat for sunset watching.
Nearby
Links
- On Panoramio [2] & Flickr [2]
- Homewood campus tour