.jpg) The memorial in 2018 | |
 Interactive map of Peter Muhlenberg Memorial | |
| Location | Muhlenberg Park,Washington, D.C., United States |
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| Coordinates | 38°57′13″N77°04′10″W / 38.95361°N 77.06944°W /38.95361; -77.06944 |
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| Opening date | October 26, 1980 |
| Dedicated to | Peter Muhlenberg |
John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg, commonly known as thePeter Muhlenberg Memorial, is a public monument inWashington, D.C. It honorsPeter Muhlenberg, aLutheran minister,Continental Army general,Federalist Era American politician, and member of the prominentMuhlenberg family. The memorial is located in a one-acre park bounded byConnecticut Avenue, Ellicott Street, and 36th Street NW on the eastern edge of Washington'sWakefield neighborhood. Designed by architectJohn Harbeson, it features at its center a bronzebust of Muhlenberg, sculpted by his descendant, Caroline M. Hufford. Completed in 1980, 52 years after its construction was authorized byCongress, attendees at the dedication ceremony includedWest German ambassadorPeter Hermes.
The bronze sculpture of Muhlenberg is displayed on a limestone pedestal and surrounded on three sides by a concreteexedra. The memorial is owned and maintained by theNational Park Service, a federal agency of theInterior Department.
In the late 19th century, the site of Muhlenberg Park was the intersection of Grant Road and Chappell Road in ruralWashington County, D.C.[1] In 1871, Washington County, Washington City, andGeorgetownwere unified under one district government, establishing the modern boundaries ofWashington, D.C. Over the following decades,motorized streetcars made settlement in the farNorthwest of the city more feasible. In 1907, the completion ofa bridge over theRock Creek gorge allowedConnecticut Avenue to run uninterrupted from downtown toChevy Chase, Maryland.[2] As the area was developed, Grant Road was gradually built over and replaced with astreet grid, leaving only a few disconnected segments, including theGrant Road Historic District, remaining. Chappell Road was connected to 36th Street NW and renamed, leaving a small, triangular piece of land between it and Connecticut Avenue.[2]
In 1925, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Epiphany, located on 16th andU Streets NW, purchased 4900 Connecticut Avenue NW, at the intersection of Connecticut and Ellicott, from theChevy Chase Land Company, intending to relocate there.[3][4][5] The following year, Epiphany agreed to merge withSt. Paul's English Lutheran Church, keeping the St. Paul's name and charter and using the Connecticut Avenue site for a new building.[6][7][8][9] St. Paul's, founded in 1843 and based at the southwest corner of 11th andH Streets NW since 1845, had grown such that their historic edifice could no longer accommodate the size of the congregation.[10][11][5] The Church set aside the front portion of the new property, cut off from the rest by 36th Street, for donation to the federal government, as a site for a memorial toLutheran minister,Revolutionary War hero, and early-American politicianPeter Muhlenberg.[9][12][13][14][15]
On May 2, 1928, Congress passed Public Resolution No. 30, authorizing construction of the monument, with funds to be raised by the Peter Muhlenberg Memorial Association and the design to be approved by theUnited States Congress Joint Committee on the Library and theCommission of Fine Arts.[16][17][18] CongressmenAlfred L. Bulwinkle ofNorth Carolina, whosponsored the resolution, andR. Walton Moore ofVirginia both spoke in favor of its passage in theHouse of Representatives.[19][20] Calling Muhlenberg "one of America'sgreat men," Bulwinkle opined that "the appreciation of Congress should be given to the Peter Muhlenberg Memorial Association for the idea of erecting here, in the Capital of the Nation, a fitting monument to serve as a memorial to one of the men who helped to found this Republic."[21] Before further action could be taken, financial problems caused by theGreat Depression resulted in delayed construction of the new church building and a halt in fundraising for the memorial.[4][22][23]
In 1959, the year after the church was completed, a committee was named to begin soliciting funds for the memorial's construction.[24] Washington attorney and St. Paul's congregant Henry F. Lerch III was instrumental in relaunching the project, serving as chairman of the Memorial Association, with the goal of completing it in time for theUnited States Bicentennial.[15][25]John Harbeson of thePhiladelphia firmHarbeson, Hough, Livingston & Larson, a former president of theNational Academy of Design, was chosen as the architect whileCharles Town, West Virginia-based artist Caroline Muhlenberg Hufford was chosen to sculpt the bust at its center.[25][26] Hufford, formerly ofReading, Pennsylvania andArlington, Virginia, was a daughter of noted architect and formerPennsylvania Congressman,Frederick A. Muhlenberg, and a third great-granddaughter of Peter Muhlenberg.[27] The E. A. Baker Company of Washington was hired asgeneral contractor.[26] Following several changes to the site's preliminary design, including reducing the height of the proposed backing wall, the Commission of Fine Arts gave its approval in September 1975.[28][29][30] The memorial cost $59,430 to build (equivalent to $257,476 in 2024).[31]
The memorial was formally dedicated onReformation Sunday, October 26, 1980.[26][32][31] Approximately 300 people attended the ceremony, includingWest German Ambassador to the United StatesPeter Hermes and Mayor James Lambert ofWoodstock, Virginia, the town where Muhlenberg preached prior to the American Revolution; acolor guard from Woodstock and about thirty Muhlenberg descendants were also in attendance.[22][25]
Dr. Russell Zimmerman, former pastor of the historicAugustus Lutheran Church inTrappe, Pennsylvania, gave a sermon at a preceding church service, calling Muhlenberg, "a giant among giants of the American fight for justice, liberty and independence."[15] Afterward, Henry Lerch was given the honor of unveiling the statue, andRobert Stanton, Deputy Director of the National Park Service for theNational Capital Parks, delivered a speech accepting it on behalf of the federal government.[25]
The memorial and surrounding park are owned and maintained by theNational Park Service, a federal agency of theInterior Department, as part of theRock Creek Park administrative area.[26][31] The park runs along theFort Circle Parksgreenway, a proposal inspired by an unrealized portion of theMcMillan Plan.[33] Under its 1968, 2004 and 2010 master plans, the Park Service andNational Capital Planning Commission suggested the creation of a system of trails connecting the Fort Circle Parks, including nearbyFort Reno, to each other and other open spaces in the District.[34]
The memorial sits in the center of Muhlenberg Park in thenorthwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., alongside a segment ofWakefield's eastern border withForest Hills. The one-acrepocket park is located on the plot of land bounded byConnecticut Avenue, Ellicott Street, and 36th Street NW.[35][36] It is directly adjacent to St. Paul's Lutheran Church andEngine Company 31, which are to the west and northwest, respectively. Also close by arePolitics and Prose andComet Ping Pong, oneblock up Connecticut Avenue.[22]
The bronze bust of Muhlenberg sits atop a limestone base. The approximately 4 feet (1.2 m) high by 4 feet (1.2 m) wide sculpture depicts Muhlenberg in civilian dress, with his hands resting on an openBible before him. The base, which stands approximately 8 feet 2 inches (2.49 m) tall, resembles a pulpit and features, on three sides, carvings representing Muhlenberg's contributions to his country as a Clergyman, Soldier, and Statesman.[26][37] The Clergyman side features an image of aLatin cross and the years, "1768–1776" inscribed below it. The Soldier side features an image of asaber and the years, "1774–1783." The Statesman side features an image of afasces and the years, "1787–1807." The inscription at the front of the base reads: "JOHN PETER GABRIEL MUHLENBERG, 1746–1807; Serving HIS CHURCH, HIS COUNTRY, HIS STATE." A rectangular concreteexedra with three plaques, each containing biographical information about Muhlenberg, flanks the rear and sides of the memorial.[22][26][37]
The memorial was originally intended to feature two fountains along with a pond or reflecting pool, both to be added during a second phase of construction.[15][25][32] These plans were never realized.
Media related toPeter Muhlenberg Memorial at Wikimedia Commons
