Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Memorial

Not to be confused with Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Monument.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Memorial
The statue in 2008
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Memorial is located in the District of Columbia
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Memorial
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Memorial is located in the United States
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Memorial
LocationM Street and Connecticut Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C.
Coordinates38°54′21″N 77°2′30″W / 38.90583°N 77.04167°W / 38.90583; -77.04167
Arealess than one acre
Built1909
Built byWilliam Couper
Architectural styleNaturalism
MPSMemorials in Washington, D.C.
NRHP reference No.07001056[1]
Added to NRHPOctober 11, 2007

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is a bronze statue, by William Couper, and Thomas Ball.[2] The statue depicts American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. It is located at the intersection of M Street and Connecticut Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C., and was dedicated on May 7, 1909.[3]

History

Sculptural Conception

After the death of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in 1882, there were several plans to memorialize him. His bust was placed at Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey in 1884 and a statue of the poet by Franklin Simmons was unveiled in his native town of Portland, Maine, at what became known as Longfellow Square.[4] For the statue in Washington, an association was founded to raise money for the effort, ultimately earning $21,000 by subscribers. Additionally, Congress offered another $4,000 and the site.[5] Members of the organization included Andrew Carnegie, Henry Cabot Lodge, Charles William Eliot, Edward Everett Hale, Julia Ward Howe, and Curtis Guild.[6] Theodore Roosevelt served as Honorary Regent. It was unveiled in 1909 by the poet's granddaughter Erica Thorp in the presence of Chief Justice Melville Fuller and the United States Marine Band.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ "Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, (sculpture)". SIRIS
  3. ^ Ben Schuman Stoler (November 28, 2007). "Revisiting the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Monument". DCist. Archived from the original on June 4, 2012.
  4. ^ a b Calhoun, Charles C. Longfellow: A Rediscovered Life. Boston: Beacon Press, 2004: 251. ISBN 0-8070-7026-2
  5. ^ Gilder, Jeannette. "The Lounger", Putnam's Monthly: A Magazine of Literature, Art and Life. Vol. III: No. 3 (December 1907): 385
  6. ^ Chapple, Joe Mitchell. "Affairs at Washington", National Magazine. Vol. XXX, No. 3 (June 1909): 250


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