Archive for the ‘Monumental’ Category
Monumental: Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial
On Sunday (assuming no hurricane disruptions), the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial will be dedicated by President Obama. As this will be the first major memorial dedicated along the Mall area since the World War II Memorial in 2004, I thought it would be interesting to review the monument and see what others’ views are.
More »DC Residents get first look at new King memorial
‘MLK Memorial’courtesy of ‘nevermindtheend’
With the newest monument on the Mall slated to open at the end of the month, to crowds of “hundreds of thousands,” District residents are going to get a free sneak preview. Tickets will be available at the MLK library in DC, as well as on the city’s website starting early next [...]
Happy 165th, Smithsonian!
‘Lower Invertebrates Exhibit in West Wing, Smithsonian Institution Building’
courtesy of ‘Smithsonian Institution’
You know how you have this awesome friend, but you forgot their birthday this year, and it turns out it was a big one? Yeah. That. [Update, 11:45: As it turns out, We did cover this yesterday. So, I feel a little better, but [...]
Is the District of Columbia World War I Memorial in jeopardy?
‘World War I Memorial BW’courtesy of ‘christaki’
There is a monument on the mall that is dedicated not to a nation’s cause, nor to a great leader, nor to a private citizen. It is dedicated to the 499 men who gave their lives in support of their country in the Great War, from 1917 to 1918, [...]
Memorializing Endless War in DC: Is it Possible?
‘leaving the Senate’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99′
There was a piece in the Outlook section of Sunday’s Washington Post entitled “How we memorialize endless war?” by public-monument scholar Kirk Savage. It’s an interesting read that sparks a legitimate question on this Memorial Day weekend.
In the wake of the U.S. Armed Forces catching Osama Bin Laden after a near [...]
Monumental: Taft Bridge
‘Taft Bridge’
courtesy of ‘mgrass’
One of my first, distinct memories of DC is the long drive down Connecticut Avenue, after exiting 495 and headed to Dupont Circle. I was completely DC naive, had very little navigational or directional DC knowledge and for all I knew I could have been headed north or west or east. As [...]
Monumental: The National Mall & Memories
My first physical encounter with the ivory American tower that is the Lincoln Memorial was at the age of 12. When I graduated from my four-year stint at American University at age 22, I maintained and continued to proclaim that the Lincoln Memorial is my favorite place to “sit and do nothing” in D.C.
Its hallowed [...]
Monumental: Jefferson Memorial
‘DSC_0500′
courtesy of ‘Warren In the Weeds’
This morning marks the 71st anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone of my favorite DC memorial, the Jefferson Memorial on the south side of the Tidal Basin. The Memorial was designed by architect John Russell Pope in 1935, and was one of four that Pope designed, depending on the [...]
Monumental: Bladensburg Peace Cross
Peace Cross Bladensburg MD by Ron 911
Sitting at the intersection of Bladensburg Road, Baltimore Avenue and the National Defense Highway just over the border into Prince George’s County is the Bladensburg Peace Cross, a forty-foot stone cross, notes those from Prince George’s county who fought and died in World War I. Inscribed with their names, [...]
Monumental: Mount St. Fenty
‘glacial dome’courtesy of ‘philliefan99′
Rising high above the streets of DC, seen here with a height on par with the Capitol Building, is Mount St. Fenty. The monument, in which is carved the sorrow of all District residents, was erected in the early part of 2010 by the District’s Department of Transportation on the orders of [...]
Monumental: Freedom Plaza
‘Freedom Plaza’s Mini Scale’courtesy of ‘CathyLovesDC’
“Put yourself in the map”. That’s what I always tell my friends when they’re feeling turned around and lost. But not everyone has the appreciation for maps that I do, which is why I was so excited that I could literally put myself in the map at Freedom Plaza, and [...]
Monumental: Robert Emmet
Emmet statue in DC by Corinne Whiting
On a recent return trip to Dublin, Ireland, I happily killed some time strolling through the city oasis of St. Stephen’s Green. On my way out of the lush park, I meandered past a statue so familiar it brought me to a screeching halt. There stood a petticoat waistcoat-clad [...]
Monumental: Albert Einstein
‘Albert Einstein Memorial Statue’
courtesy of ‘bbmcder94′
Tucked across the street near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall and completely overshadowed by the nearby Lincoln Memorial sits a memorial to Albert Einstein. Located on the grounds of the National Academy of Sciences on Constitution Avenue, the bronze statue lounges in a small grove of elm and holly trees [...]
Monumental: Fort Marcy
Driving the George Washington Parkway north along the Potomac, you can almost miss the entrance to Fort Marcy Park. It’s not a well-known Civil War fortification, not being a sight of one of that war’s destructive battles, but it was one of the key components of the Union’s defense of the capital. (It’s also known [...]
More »Monumental: Pershing Park
‘Film! – Canon A-1 – Pershing in Focus -11-7-08′
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’
Few people think much of Pershing Park. I’d wager that most walk by without noticing it. In spite of Pershing Park being DC’s largest World War I memorial, it serves primarily as a napping place for the homeless and a thoroughfare for tourists walking from [...]
Monumental: Eastern Market
While Monumental is traditionally the realm of the markers and monuments and memorials left throughout the city, Council Chairman Graham said something at this morning’s re-opening of Eastern Market that stuck with me. He said that Eastern Market was DC’s own Monument, more so than any of the Washington monuments. He couldn’t be [...]
More »Monumental: West Potomac Park
‘Tidal Basin path’ courtesy of ‘brianmka’
Don’t laugh, but it could be that Nirvana is something like sitting in West Potomac Park on a beautiful day in spring. This past Sunday was one of those near-perfect days in DC: Bright warm sun, low humidity, slight breeze. I sat facing the river, the encouraging cheers of softball [...]
