38°55′00″N 77°02′47″W / 38.916667°N 77.046389°W | |
Equestrian statue of George B. McClellan | |
Part of | Civil War Monuments in Washington, D.C. |
---|---|
NRHP reference No. | 78000257[1] |
Added to NRHP | September 20, 1978[2] |
Location | Intersection of California Street, Columbia Road and Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, D.C., United States |
Designer | Frederick William MacMonnies (sculptor) James Crocroft (architect) Edmond Gruet Jeune {founder} |
Material | Bronze (sculpture) Granite (base) |
Length | 9.5 feet (2.9 m) |
Height | 31.6 feet (9.6 m) |
Opening date | May 2, 1907 |
Dedicated to | George B. McClellan |
Major General George B. McClellan is an equestrian statue in Washington, D.C. that honors politician and Civil War general George B. McClellan. The monument is sited on a prominent location in the Kalorama Triangle neighborhood due to efforts made by area residents. The statue was sculpted by American artist Frederick William MacMonnies, a graduate of the École des Beaux-Arts whose best known work is a statue of Nathan Hale in New York City. MacMonnies was chosen to design the statue following a lengthy competition organized by a statue commission, led by then Secretary of War William Howard Taft. The monument was dedicated in 1907, with prominent attendees at the ceremony including President Theodore Roosevelt, New York City mayor George B. McClellan Jr., politicians, generals and thousands of military personnel.
The sculpture is one of eighteen Civil War monuments in Washington, D.C., which were collectively listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The bronze statue, which rests on a tall granite base adorned with emblems and bronze reliefs, is surrounded by a small public park bounded by California Street, Columbia Road and Connecticut Avenue NW. The monument and park are owned and maintained by the National Park Service, a federal agency of the Interior Department.