Washington Square Arch

A wooden arch for the centennial of Washington’s presidency was so loved that the city rebuilt it in marble

Local name: Washington Square Arch

Collection: New York · USA · Open in OpenStreetMap

The arch from the north, with the two statues of Washington · Jean-Christophe BENOIST, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

The story

Before you is the Washington Square Arch, at the very start of Fifth Avenue. In the spring of 1889 New York celebrated one hundred years since George Washington became the first president. A local resident, William Rhinelander Stewart, came up with the idea of a temporary triumphal arch here. The architect Stanford White designed it free of charge, and the neighbors paid for it. New Yorkers loved the wooden arch so much that they decided to build a permanent one in white marble. The contractor was David King, the builder of the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal, and he agreed to work at cost. The cornerstone was laid in May 1890, and construction finished in 1892. The arch was formally dedicated in May 1895 and handed over to the city. It stands 77 feet tall. White took ancient Roman triumphal arches as his model. The inscription at the top reads: “Let us raise a standard to which the wise and the honest can repair. The event is in the hand of God.” Walk around to the north side. On the east pier is Washington as Commander-in-Chief by the sculptor Hermon MacNeil, completed in 1916. On the west pier is Washington as President by Alexander Stirling Calder, from 1918. From 1797 to 1825 the square was a burial ground for the poor. By various estimates, more than twenty thousand people still lie beneath it. From 1826 it was a military parade ground. And in August 1959 local residents finally got cars banned from the park.