| Peace Circle | |
|---|---|
 Peace Circle from the northwest | |
 Interactive map of Peace Circle | |
| Location | |
| Washington, DC | |
| Roads at junction | Pennsylvania Avenue NW 1st Street NW |
| Construction | |
| Type | Traffic circle |
| Maintained by | DDOT |
Peace Circle is atraffic circle inWashington, D.C., located at the intersection ofPennsylvania Avenue and First Street NW. At its center is thePeace Monument, also known as the Naval Memorial. It is a monument to the naval deaths during theAmerican Civil War. The monument is topped by theallegorical sculptures of Grief and History. On the southeast side facing theUnited States Capitol there is a figure of Peace, and on the northwest side, there are figures ofVictory and the babiesMars andNeptune. The monument is located on Capitol grounds adjacent to theCapitol Reflection Pool. The monument was sculpted byFranklin Simmons and completed in 1878. The monument was restored in the 1990s. TheJanuary 6 Capitol attack in 2021 physically started at the circle.
The monument atopPeace Circle is in honor of the sailors who lost their lives during the American Civil War. The monument was originally to be placed at Annapolis, but for an unknown reason was built in Washington D.C. instead. The idea was created by AdmiralDavid D. Porter, he was so enthused with the project that he fundraised for it personally and sketched a draft for it himself, this draft was passed on toFranklin Simmons who ended up sculpting the structure, along with the Bonanni Brothers inRomeItaly.[1]
The structure fell into disrepair until the 1970s where theArchitect of the Capitol (AOC) was assigned to take care of it, modern weathering such asacid rain and protestors climbing the statue caused even limbs to fall off of the statues. The AOC added a special layer of protective mineral solution in order to protect the marble from modern wear and tear.[1]
TheJanuary 6 Capitol attack in 2021 physically started at aCapitol Police barricade on the east side of the Peace Circle, whenRyan Samsel attacked police officerCaroline Edwards, who fell on a stair handrail and got knocked unconscious.[2][3]
38°53′26″N77°00′44″W / 38.8905°N 77.0123°W /38.8905; -77.0123
 | This article about a location inWashington, D.C., is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |