Navy Yard Urns | |
_-_Washington%2c_DC_-_DSC05641.JPG) One of two Navy Yard Urns in 2015 | |
| Location | Lafayette Square,Washington, D.C. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 38°53′56.93″N77°2′11.08″W / 38.8991472°N 77.0364111°W /38.8991472; -77.0364111 |
| Built | 1872 |
| Architect | Unknown Washington Navy Yard (founder) |
| Part of | Lafayette Square Historic District L'Enfant Plan |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000833[1] (Lafayette Square Historic District) 97000332[2] (L'Enfant Plan) |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | August 29, 1970 (Lafayette Square Historic District) April 24, 1997 (L'Enfant Plan) |
| Designated DCIHS | January 19, 1971 (L'Enfant Plan) June 19, 1973 (Lafayette Square Historic District) |
TheNavy Yard Urns are two decorative bronzeurns located inLafayette Square, a small park across the street from theWhite House, inWashington, D.C. They were originally planned to be installed in the 1850s, but due to theCivil War and other events, they were not erected until 1872. Secretary of the NavyGeorge M. Robeson had ordered the urns be made at theWashington Navy Yard using melted cannons from the Civil War.
The urns have been moved a few times during their history, most recently in 1969. They originally stood on the east and west side of theequestrian statue of PresidentAndrew Jackson that is the centerpiece of Lafayette Square. The urns arecontributing properties to theLafayette Square Historic District, aNational Historic Landmark, and theL'Enfant Plan. Both the district and plan are listed on theNational Register of Historic Places and theDistrict of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites.
Lafayette Square, a 7-acre (2.8 ha) park on the north side of theWhite House inWashington, D.C., was originally planned byPierre Charles L'Enfant in 1791.[3][4] The square, part ofPresident's Park, was redesigned byAndrew Jackson Downing in 1851–1852.[4] Amongst the changes in Downing's plans were the installation ofurns in the square. Due to delays by theCivil War and other events, most of Downing's plans were not carried out until the late-19th century and 20th-century.[3]
The first changes were made in 1853, with the installation of theequestrian statue of PresidentAndrew Jackson. More substantial changes took place from 1872 to 1873, which is the time period when the urns were installed.[3][4][5] On the order of Secretary of the NavyGeorge M. Robeson, theWashington Navy Yard melted cannons from the Civil War to create two decorative urns.[6][7]
They were based on the design of vases brought fromParis byWilliam Wilson Corcoran, but it is unclear who the original designer was.[8] According to theSmithsonian Institution Research Information System, they may have been designed by Downing orCalvert Vaux.[6] The furnaces at the Navy Yard where the urns were cast were designed byAdolph Cluss and had previously been used to produce cannons during the Civil War.[9]
The urns, measuring 5-feet tall (1.5 m) and 4-feet wide (1.2 m), are made of bronze and are similar in design to ones found at thePalace of Versailles.[6][9] They feature a classical figure motif and each urn is inscribed "Ordnance Department, U.S. Navy Yard, Washington D.C. 1872".[9] They originally stood on the east and west sides of the Jackson statue, resting on granites bases set amongst flower beds.[6][9] Robeson described them as "extremely good examples of the work of government mechanics and workshops."[9] Although each urn contains a decorative motif, they are different than the designs found on theAndrew Jackson Downing Urn. That urn was created in 1856 and is located in theEnid A. Haupt Garden.[9]
In 1879, flowers were placed in the urns, but were later removed.[6] In 1919, during the fight forwomen's suffrage in the United States, a group of women protesters in front of the White House burned printed speeches by PresidentWoodrow Wilson. Instead of a metal tub that was used as a firepit, at least one protester started another fire inside one of the urns. It was extinguished by other protesters and security personnel.[10]
In 1936, during an improvement project of the square by theWorks Progress Administration, the urns were moved to the center of each side of the park, nearJackson Place andMadison Place, small streets on either side of Lafayette Square.[4][7] The urns were last moved in 1969. They stand on granite pedestals near the south entrance to the square.[7][9]
The urns arecontributing properties to theLafayette Square Historic District, aNational Historic Landmark, that was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on August 29, 1970, and theDistrict of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites (DCIHS) on June 19, 1973. They are also contributing properties to theL'Enfant Plan, listed on the NRHP on April 24, 1997, and the DCIHS on January 19, 1971.[4][5]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Media related toNavy Yard Urns (Lafayette Square) at Wikimedia Commons
| ||||||||||||
| Executive Residence |
|     | ||||||||||
| West Wing | ||||||||||||
| East Wing (demolished) | ||||||||||||
| Grounds | ||||||||||||
| Staff | ||||||||||||
| Annex | ||||||||||||
| Nearby streets | ||||||||||||
| Related | ||||||||||||