William Tecumseh Sherman (Saint-Gaudens)

William Tecumseh Sherman
The sculpture in 2016
William Tecumseh Sherman
Location in New York City
Artist Augustus Saint-Gaudens
Year 1902 (1902)
Type Sculpture
Medium Bronze
Subject William Tecumseh Sherman
Location New York City, New York, U.S.
Coordinates 40°45′52″N 73°58′24″W / 40.7645°N 73.9732°W / 40.7645; -73.9732Coordinates: 40°45′52″N 73°58′24″W / 40.7645°N 73.9732°W / 40.7645; -73.9732

William Tecumseh Sherman, also known as the Sherman Memorial or Sherman Monument,[1][2] is an outdoor sculpture of William Tecumseh Sherman by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, located at Grand Army Plaza in Manhattan, New York. Cast in 1902 and dedicated on May 30, 1903, the gilded-bronze monument consists of an equestrian statue and an allegorical female figure, Victory,[3] set on a Stony Creek granite pedestal designed by the architect Charles Follen McKim.[4]

1913 plaza design and statue relocation

The newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer died in 1911 having bequeathed $50,000 for the creation of a memorial fountain to be "like those in the Place de la Concorde, Paris France."[5] In December 1912, the executors of Pulitzer's estate announced that New York City had approved the fountain's proposed location, in the plaza between 58th Street and 60th Street, just west of Fifth Avenue, the same plaza where the equestrian Sherman Monument stood since 1903. The executors invited five architecture firms to participate in a competition to determine the fountain's design, and to provide designs for a "good architectural treatment of the whole plaza." [6] In January 1913, the five schemes were exhibited at the New York Public Library, including the winning scheme, designed by Carrère and Hastings. Architect Thomas Hasting's design placed the fountain in the southern half of the plaza, whereas the Sherman Monument remained in the northern half (but moved fifteen feet west to be symmetrically opposite the fountain). Construction of the new plaza began in 1915, and by November one newspaper reported: "The Pulitzer Fountain...is now finished and bubbling with the purest Croton water," noting that work on the northern portion of the plaza was delayed by subway construction.[7]

1974 landmarks designation

On May 30, 1974, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a public hearing to consider designation of the Grand Army Plaza, including the Sherman Monument, as a Scenic Landmark. The measure was approved on July 23, 1974. [8]

1985-1990 restoration

On March 26, 1985, the Central Park Conservancy and the architecture firm of Buttrick White & Burtis presented plans to the Landmarks Preservation Commission for a full restoration of the plaza, including the Sherman Monument.[9] The work was completed in June 1990, including a re-gilding of the statue, and the replacement of a palm frond and a sword that had been removed previously.[10]

2013 Restoration

The Grand Army Plaza was renewed again in 2013, including a re-gilding of the statue of William Tecumseh Sherman.[11]

References

  1. ↑ "Sherman Memorial (sculpture)". Smithsonian Institution Research Information System. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  2. ↑ "William Tecumseh Sherman". Central Park Conservancy. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  3. ↑ Warner, Marina, Monuments and Maidens: The Allegory of the Female Form, University of California Press, Berkeley, California, 1985 pp. 16-17.
  4. ↑ "Grand Army Plaza: William Tecumseh Sherman". New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Retrieved July 6, 2014.
  5. ↑ Landmark Preservation Commission (23 July 1974). "LP-0860" (PDF). NYC Landmark Designation Reports. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
  6. ↑ The New York Times, December 22, 1912.
  7. ↑ Chicago Daily Tribune, November 7, 1915.
  8. ↑ Landmark Preservation Commission (23 July 1974). "LP-0860" (PDF). NYC Landmark Designation Reports. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
  9. ↑ The New York Times, March 27, 1985.
  10. ↑ The New York Times, June 28, 1990.
  11. ↑ Dunlap, David (18 June 2013). "It's General Sherman's Time to Shine, but Not Too Much". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
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