Guglielmo Marconi (Piccirilli)

Last updated
Guglielmo Marconi Memorial
Marconi Memorial (73ea1054-b75c-4870-af04-cba45c3beffe).jpg
Guglielmo Marconi Memorial
Location 16th and Lamont Streets NW Washington, D.C., U.S.
Coordinates 38°53′36.96″N76°59′58.2″W / 38.8936000°N 76.999500°W / 38.8936000; -76.999500 (Wrong Coordinates, actually at 38.93041077913263, -77.03672617619154)
Built1941
Architect Attilio Piccirilli (sculptor)
Joseph Freedlander (architect)
Joseph Gardner (landscape)
Part of Mount Pleasant Historic District
NRHP reference No. 78000256 [1]
Significant dates
Designated October 12, 2007
October 26, 1987 (Mount Pleasant Historic District)
Designated DCIHSFebruary 22, 2007
October 5, 1987 (Mount Pleasant Historic District)

The Guglielmo Marconi Memorial is a public artwork by Attilio Piccirilli, located at the intersection of 16th and Lamont Streets NW in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It stands as a tribute to Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi, whose work with telegraphy and radio waves led to the creation and popularity of the radio. It was paid for by public subscription and erected in 1941. The artwork was listed on both the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites and the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. It is a contributing property to the Mount Pleasant Historic District.

Contents

History

Biography

Guglielmo Marconi was born in 1874 in Bologna, Kingdom of Italy. His father was a businessman and his mother an Irish-born heiress. During his childhood, one of his neighbors was physicist Augusto Righi, whose work with electricity interested Marconi. Marconi was particularly interested in the work of physicist Heinrich Hertz. While still a young man, Marconi began his work in studying telegraphy and developing radio wave technology. In addition to Hertz, Marconi studied the works of physicist James Clerk Maxwell. [2]

Continuing his work with telegraphy and radio waves, in 1895, Marconi could send a message within a 1-mile (1.6 km) radius. Marconi attempted to notify the Ministry of Posts and Telegraphs, who had no interest in further developing the new technology. The following year Marconi was introduced to British post office engineer, Henry Jameson Davis. After the meeting, Marconi found success in using Hertz's laboratory, where he could demonstrate his work to others. Within the next few years, Marconi secured a patent for his invention and equipped a number of American ships with his wireless telegraph. He also founded the Wireless Telegraph & Signal Company and opened a fabricating warehouse in Chelmsford, England. [2] [3]

Marconi built a transmitter station in Poldhu, England, and another in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. Due to technical problems, the latter station was moved to Glace Bay, Canada. On December 2, 1902, the first successful transmission of a wireless telegraph message was sent. The following month, he transmitted messages between President Theodore Roosevelt and King Edward VII. [2] [3]

In the 1900s, Marconi quickly found success with the wireless telegraphs, installing them in cruise ships, and in 1909, he won the Nobel Prize in Physics along with Karl Ferdinand Braun. He was also awarded the Albert Medal by the Royal Society of Arts in 1914. Marconi continued to improve his invention, and it was later applied to radio communications. By the 1920s, a large number of European and American homes had a radio. [3]

He was appointed to be an Italian representative at the Paris Peace Conference, which took place after World War I. While there, he signed the Treaty of Versailles and other peace documents. He continued to work on his technology, but began having a series of heart attacks. Beginning in 1930, Marconi was appointed president of the Royal Academy of Italy by Benito Mussolini. As president of the organization, he was made a member of the Grand Council of Fascism. [2] [3] Marconi died in 1937 after his ninth heart attack. He was given a state funeral [4]

Memorial

Within a few months after Marconi's death, there were calls for a memorial to be erected in his honor. On September 28, 1937, U.S. Representative Kent E. Keller asked the United States Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) for their approval of a proposed memorial. Within a couple of weeks, the CFA approved the plan and suggested the memorial be erected in a prominent location. [5] The Marconi Memorial Foundation (MMF) was soon founded and began raising funds in 1938. [3] One of the earliest fundraisers took place at the Raleigh Hotel and featured opera stars singing in Italian, English, and Spanish. [6]

The sculptor chosen to create the memorial was Italian American Attilio Piccirilli, the architect was Joseph Freedlander, and the landscape was designed by Joseph Gardner. [7] [8] After the final design was approved by the CFA, Congress approved a joint resolution to erect the memorial. The final bill was signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on April 14, 1938. [5] [9] In 1940, Congress approved the landscaping proposal and the inscriptions on the memorial. The following year the memorial site was approved by Congress. [10] The total cost of the memorial, $32,555, was raised by the MMF. [11] [12]

After they had inspected the memorial, a MMF dinner attended by 150 guests took place at the Mayflower Hotel in July 1941. Amongst the attendees were Speakers of the House of Representative Sam Rayburn and Joseph W. Martin Jr., U.S. Senators James J. Davis and James M. Mead, U.S. Representatives Adolph J. Sabath and Samuel Dickstein, and Judge John J. Freschl, the MMF's vice president. Due to the ongoing World War II and Italy being one of the Axis powers, the dinner included speeches on uniting American citizens in a possible conflict. The statue was given to the federal government as a way of Italian Americans showing their loyalty to the U.S. [13] The timing of the memorial's dedication and the fact Marco was a proud supporter of Italian fascism made the event somewhat awkward. [14] [15]

Later history

The Marconi memorial was added to the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites (DCIHS) on February 22, 2007, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on October 12, 2007. The memorial had previously been designated a contributing property to the Mount Pleasant Historic District on October 5, 1987 (DCIHS), and October 12, 2007 (NRHP). [16] A year before the memorial was individually listed, the bronze figures were re-gilded. [2]

Location and design

The Streamline Moderne-style memorial is located on the 0.23 acre (0.09 ha) Reservation 309A at the intersection of 16th and Lamont Streets NW in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood of Washington, D.C. [2] [17] It is sited in front of the Mount Pleasant Branch Public Library. Since the memorial is located on the north end of the reservation, and it is set at an angle, it is visible to people driving north on 16th Street NW. The surrounding landscape around the memorial includes bushes and turf. [2] [8]

The sculpture features two bronze pieces. In the front is a bust of Marconi (approx. 40 x 30 x 16 in.; 102 x 76 x 42 cm) which sits on a rectangular Stony Creek granite base (200 x 182 x 54; 508 x 462 x 137 cm). Behind the bust is the second bronze (approx. 95 x 32 x 18 in.; 241 x 183 x 91 cm) resting on another granite base. The second bronze is an allegorist female figure sitting on a globe with her legs stretched out behind her. She points her proper left arm straight in front of her while her proper right arm is raised and bent at the elbow. She is naked with a small piece of drapery on her lap. [2] [11]

Inscriptions

The base housing the Marconi bust features the following inscriptions: [11]

(front)

MARCONI
1874–1937.

(rear base)

ERECTED BY POPULAR SUBSCRIPTION
AND PRESENTED TO THE CITY OF WASHINGTON
THE MARCONI MEMORIAL FOUNDATION
1940

(right side)

Attilio Piccirilli 1940.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guglielmo Marconi</span> Italian inventor and radio pioneer (1874–1937)

Guglielmo Giovanni Maria Marconi, 1st Marquis of Marconi was an Italian inventor, electrical engineer, physicist, and politician, known for his creation of a practical radio wave–based wireless telegraph system. This led to Marconi being credited as the inventor of radio, and winning the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics with Karl Ferdinand Braun "in recognition of their contributions to the development of wireless telegraphy". His work laid the foundation for the development of radio, television, and all modern wireless communication systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karl Ferdinand Braun</span> German inventor and physicist

Karl Ferdinand Braun was a German electrical engineer, inventor, physicist and Nobel laureate in Physics. Braun contributed significantly to the development of the radio, when he invented the phased array antenna in 1905, which led to the development of radar, smart antennas, MIMO and the television by building the first cathode-ray tube. Braun also built the first semiconductor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wireless telegraphy</span> Method of communication

Wireless telegraphy or radiotelegraphy is the transmission of text messages by radio waves, analogous to electrical telegraphy using cables. Before about 1910, the term wireless telegraphy was also used for other experimental technologies for transmitting telegraph signals without wires. In radiotelegraphy, information is transmitted by pulses of radio waves of two different lengths called "dots" and "dashes", which spell out text messages, usually in Morse code. In a manual system, the sending operator taps on a switch called a telegraph key which turns the transmitter on and off, producing the pulses of radio waves. At the receiver the pulses are audible in the receiver's speaker as beeps, which are translated back to text by an operator who knows Morse code.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amos Dolbear</span> American physicist

Amos Emerson Dolbear was an American physicist and inventor. Dolbear researched electrical spark conversion into sound waves and electrical impulses. He was a professor at University of Kentucky in Lexington from 1868 until 1874. In 1874 he became the chair of the physics department at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. He is known for his 1882 invention of a system for transmitting telegraph signals without wires. In 1899 his patent for it was purchased in an unsuccessful attempt to interfere with Guglielmo Marconi's wireless telegraphy patents in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aleksandr Popov (physicist)</span> Russian physicist (1859–1906)

Alexander Stepanovich Popov was a Russian physicist who was one of the first people to invent a radio receiving device.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Pleasant (Washington, D.C.)</span> Neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

Mount Pleasant is a neighborhood in Washington, D.C., located in Northwest D.C. The neighborhood is primarily residential, with restaurants and stores centered along a commercial corridor on Mt. Pleasant Street. Mount Pleasant is known for its unique identity and multicultural landscape, home to diverse groups such as the punk rock, the Peace Corps and Hispanic Washingtonian communities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spark-gap transmitter</span> Type of radio transmitter

A spark-gap transmitter is an obsolete type of radio transmitter which generates radio waves by means of an electric spark. Spark-gap transmitters were the first type of radio transmitter, and were the main type used during the wireless telegraphy or "spark" era, the first three decades of radio, from 1887 to the end of World War I. German physicist Heinrich Hertz built the first experimental spark-gap transmitters in 1887, with which he proved the existence of radio waves and studied their properties.

Poldhu is a small area in south Cornwall, England, UK, situated on the Lizard Peninsula; it comprises Poldhu Point and Poldhu Cove. Poldhu means "black pool" in Cornish. Poldhu lies on the coast of Mount's Bay and is in the northern part of the parish of Mullion; the churchtown is 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) to the south-east. On the north side of Poldhu Cove is the parish of Gunwalloe and the village of Porthleven is a further 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) to the north.

The Piccirilli brothers were an Italian family of renowned marble carvers and sculptors who carved many of the most significant marble sculptures in the United States, including Daniel Chester French’s colossal Abraham Lincoln (1920) in the Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Invention of radio</span>

The invention of radio communication was preceded by many decades of establishing theoretical underpinnings, discovery and experimental investigation of radio waves, and engineering and technical developments related to their transmission and detection. These developments allowed Guglielmo Marconi to turn radio waves into a wireless communication system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Attilio Piccirilli</span> American sculptor (1866–1945)

Attilio Piccirilli was an American sculptor. Born in Massa, Italy, he was educated at the Accademia di San Luca of Rome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheridan Circle</span> Traffic circle in Washington D.C.

Sheridan Circle is a traffic circle and park in the Sheridan-Kalorama neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The traffic circle, one of two in the neighborhood, is the intersection of 23rd Street NW, Massachusetts Avenue NW, and R Street NW. The buildings along this stretch of Massachusetts Avenue NW are part of Embassy Row, which runs from Scott Circle to Observatory Circle. Sheridan Circle is a contributing property to the Massachusetts Avenue Historic District and the Sheridan-Kalorama Historic District, both listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). In addition, the equestrian statue of General Philip Sheridan is 1 of 18 Civil War Monuments in Washington, D.C., that were collectively listed on the NRHP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Augusto Righi</span> Italian physicist (1850–1920)

Augusto Righi was an Italian physicist and a pioneer in the study of electromagnetism. He was born and died in Bologna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haven Hotel</span> Historic hotel in Dorset

The Haven Hotel is a historic AA four star hotel in Sandbanks, near Poole, Dorset on the south coast of England.

Joseph Maria Pernicone was an Italian-born clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York from 1954 to 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luther Monument (Washington, D.C.)</span> Statue by Ernst Friedrich August Rietschel in Washington, D.C., U.S.

The Luther Monument is a public artwork located in front of Luther Place Memorial Church in Washington, D.C., United States. The monument to Martin Luther, the theologian and Protestant Reformer, is a bronze, full-length portrait. It is a copy of the statue created by Ernst Friedrich August Rietschel as part of the 1868 Luther Monument in Worms, Germany. The version in Washington, D.C., inspired the installation of many other castings across the U.S. The statue is a contributing property to the Luther Place Memorial Church's listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites (DCIHS). It is also a contributing property to the Greater Fourteenth Street Historic District, which is also listed on the NRHP and DCIHS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Equestrian statue of George Washington (Washington Circle)</span> Statue by Clark Mills in Washington, D.C., U.S.

Lieutenant General George Washington is an 1860 equestrian statue of George Washington, at Washington Circle, at the edge of the George Washington University's campus, in Washington, D.C. The statue was sculpted by Clark Mills, who also created the equestrian statue of Andrew Jackson in front of the White House. The traffic circle where the statue is located was one of the original city designs by Pierre Charles L'Enfant. The statue and surrounding park are in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood at the intersection of 23rd Street, New Hampshire Avenue, and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. The K Street NW underpass runs beneath the circle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Furio Piccirilli</span> American artist

Furio Piccirilli was an Italian-born American sculptor and one of the Piccirilli Brothers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samuel Gompers Memorial</span> Memorial in Washington, D.C., U.S.

The Samuel Gompers Memorial is a bronze collection of statues in Washington, D.C., sited on a triangular park at the intersection of 11th Street, Massachusetts Avenue, and N Street NW. Samuel Gompers was an English-born American who grew up working in cigar factories, where he witnessed the long hours and dangerous conditions people experienced in factory jobs. He helped with growing the Cigar Makers' International Union, and a few years later, founded the American Federation of Labor (AFL). The number of members rose from 50,000 to 3,000,000 during his time as president of the union. He was not only successful in expanding the power of the labor movement, but also increased its prestige.

<i>Elettra</i> (1904 ship)

Elettra was the name of Guglielmo Marconi's steam yacht – a seaborne laboratory – from which he conducted his many experiments with wireless telegraphy, wireless telephony and other communication and direction-finding techniques during the inter-war period.

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Barsoum, Eve L. (October 2006). "National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form - Guglielmo Marconi Memorial" (PDF). National Park Service. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Goode, James M. (1974). The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, D.C. Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 424.
  4. "Radio falls silent for death of Marconi". The Guardian. July 20, 1937. Archived from the original on October 11, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  5. 1 2 The Commission of Fine Arts: Thirteenth Report. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1940. pp. 53–56.
  6. "Benefit Concert To Be Given at Raleigh Hotel". The Evening Star. February 20, 1938. pp. F-6. Archived from the original on January 26, 2024. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  7. "Marconi Memorial on Sixteenth Street is Given Approval". The Evening Star. March 14, 1941. p. 16. Archived from the original on January 26, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  8. 1 2 "Gugliemo Marconi, (sculpture)". Smithsonian Institution Archives of American Art. Archived from the original on October 11, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  9. United States Statutes at Large: Volume 52. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1938. p. 217.
  10. "Washington to Get Marconi Monument". The New York Times. March 13, 1941. p. 44. ProQuest   106158731. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  11. 1 2 3 "Marconi Memorial". National Park Service. Archived from the original on January 26, 2024. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  12. "Considers Marcomi Memorial". The Evening Star. September 11, 1940. pp. A-2. Archived from the original on January 26, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  13. "U.S. Unity Stressed at Dinner Meeting of Marconi Foundation". The Evening Star. July 23, 1941. p. 4. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  14. Kelly, John (October 1, 2016). "Why is there a memorial to Marconi, the father of radio, on 16th Street NW?". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 28, 2023. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  15. DeFerrari, John; Sefton, Douglas Peter (2022). Sixteenth Street NW: Washington, DC's Avenue of Ambitions. Georgetown University Press. p. 178. ISBN   9781647121563.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. "District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites" (PDF). District of Columbia Office of Planning - Historic Preservation Office. September 30, 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 31, 2017. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  17. "Marconi Memorial Cultural Landscape". National Park Service. Archived from the original on January 26, 2024. Retrieved January 26, 2024.