World War I Memorial (East Providence, Rhode Island)

Last updated

World War I Memorial
World War I Memorial, Taunton Street, East Providence 2012.jpg
The memorial's statue and base in 2012
USA Rhode Island location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location East Providence, Rhode Island
Coordinates 41°49′10″N71°22′15″W / 41.81944°N 71.37083°W / 41.81944; -71.37083 Coordinates: 41°49′10″N71°22′15″W / 41.81944°N 71.37083°W / 41.81944; -71.37083
Built1927
MPS Outdoor Sculpture of Rhode Island
NRHP reference No. 01000466 [1]
Added to NRHPOctober 19, 2001

The World War I Memorial is a bronze sculpture by Pietro Montana and is located at the intersection of Taunton Avenue, Whelden Avenue, and John Street in East Providence, Rhode Island, United States. The sculpture is modeled on Charles Atlas and depicts a dynamically posed soldier standing on a granite base. Montana's original design was modified by the East Providence Memorial Committee for being "too brutal". [2] Dedicated on July 30, 1927, Major General Charles Pelot Summerall gave an address which highlighted the handicap placed upon the soldiers by a lack of preparedness and "invoked the fighting ideal embodied by Montana's doughboy." [2] The World War I Memorial was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

Contents

Design

The World War I Memorial was designed by Pietro Montana, an Italian-born painter and sculptor. Montana studied at the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in Manhattan, New York City, New York. [3] Montana's monuments were well-known, particularly in New York, and included an earlier "Doughboy" sculpture erected in 1920 to honor the war dead of the Bushwick, Brooklyn and Ridgewood, Queens. [4] The success of this the earlier "Fighting Doughboy" memorial resulted in the production of three copies by 1921. [5] By 1932, he had produced over 40 statues and won a gold medal from the National Academy of Design for "Orphans" in 1931. [4]

For the design of the sculpture, Montana modeled Charles Atlas and "strove to communicate the U.S. doughboy's upstanding character and valor by way of a muscle-bound physique". In 1926, the East Providence Memorial Committee expressed concerns that Montana's design was "too brutal" and modified the original design provided by Montana. [2] The statue was erected in 1927, and formally dedicated on July 30, 1927. At the dedication, Major General Charles Pelot Summerall gave an address which highlighted the handicap placed upon the soldiers by a lack of preparedness and "invoked the fighting ideal embodied by Montana's doughboy." [2]

The sculpture of a soldier stands 7.75 feet (2.36 m) tall, 2.583 feet (0.787 m) wide and 2.66 feet (0.81 m) deep. Ronald J. Onorato, author of the National Register nomination, writes that "the soldier stands with legs apart, his left hand at his belt, the right at his side. The face is impassive and expressionless. He wears a disheveled infantry uniform, rough shoes, the shirt collar open and askew, the sleeves rolled back, the knee torn open, his helmet on the ground behind his left foot. ... A holster hangs from the belt on the soldier's right hip." [3] Montana signed the sculpture with "Pietro Montana/SC/1927." [3]

The sculpture rests atop a grey granite base that is 6.33 feet (1.93 m) tall, 3.166 feet (0.965 m) wide and 3.5 feet (1.1 m) deep. The corners of the base have small leaf designed and has 2 feet (0.61 m) by 2.66 feet (0.81 m) bronze reliefs with arched tops on each side. The front relief states that it was erected in the memory of the citizens of East Providence who served in World War I from 1917 to 1918, and lists the names of twenty three soldiers. The left relief depicts a marching infantry column of one man on horseback and four on foot, the right relief depicts four or five men loading a cannon and the rear relief depicts a nurse assisting two wounded soldiers. [3]

At the time of its nomination, the sculpture was described as in "moderately good condition", with the surface being both stained and pitted, but free or breaks or missing pieces. The statue still stands in its original location in front of a school that has since been re-purposed for residential housing. [3]

Importance

The World War I Memorial designed by Montana is "historically significant as the city's principal effort to honor those who served in the first World War and because it is an unusually successful depiction of the soldier in battle." [3] The larger-than-life masculine figure depicted in the sculpture stands apart from the stock figures of other war monuments by its dynamic pose, as if the soldier was "[arising from] the heat of battle". [3] It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 19, 2001. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

Charles Pelot Summerall 12th Chief of Staff of the United States Army

General Charles Pelot Summerall was a senior United States Army officer.He commanded the 1st Infantry Division in World War I, was Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1926 to 1930, and was President of The Citadel between 1931 and 1953.

Iron Mike is the de facto name of various monuments commemorating servicemen of the United States military. The term "Iron Mike" is uniquely American slang used to refer to men who are especially tough, brave, and inspiring; it was originally a nautical term for a gyrocompass, used to keep a ship on an unwavering course. Because the use of the slang term was popular in the first half of the 20th century, many statues from that period acquired the Iron Mike nickname, and over the generations the artists' titles were largely forgotten. Even official military publications and classroom texts tend to prefer the nickname to the original titles.

Theo Alice Ruggles Kitson

Theo Alice Ruggles Kitson, also known as Tho. A. R. Kitson and Theo Alice Ruggles, was an American sculptor.

<i>Spirit of the American Doughboy</i> Statue by E. M. Viquesney

The Spirit of the American Doughboy is a pressed copper sculpture by E. M. Viquesney, designed to honor the veterans and casualties of World War I. Mass-produced during the 1920s and 1930s for communities throughout the United States, the statue's design was the most popular of its kind, spawning a wave of collectible miniatures and related memorabilia as well as numerous copies by other artists. Its title is often shortened to The Doughboy.

Allen George Newman

Allen George Newman III was an American sculptor, best known for his statue "The Hiker".

Civil War Memorial (Sycamore, Illinois) United States historic place

The Civil War Memorial, in the DeKalb County county seat of Sycamore, Illinois, United States, is located in front of the DeKalb County Courthouse on a public square. The memorial was erected in 1896 and dedicated in 1897. The structure is a memorial to the thousands of DeKalb County residents who served in the American Civil War. It incorporates an obelisk which rises to 50 feet in height. The base is adorned with copper sculpture, completed by an unknown sculptor. On the east facade of the memorial the word "Antietam", denoting the Battle of Antietam, is misspelled. This work of public art underwent its first restoration work in 2005-2006.

Victory Monument (Chicago) United States historic place

Erected in 1927, the Victory Monument, created by sculptor Leonard Crunelle, was built to honor the Eighth Regiment of the Illinois National Guard, an African-American unit that served in France during World War I. It is located in the Black Metropolis-Bronzeville District in the Douglas community area of Chicago, Illinois. The structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 30, 1986. It was designated a Chicago Landmark on September 9, 1998. An annual Memorial Day ceremony is held at the monument.

Indiana World War Memorial Plaza United States historic place

The Indiana World War Memorial Plaza is an urban feature located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, originally built to honor the veterans of World War I. The five-city-block plaza was conceived in 1919 as a location for the national headquarters of the American Legion and a memorial to the state's and nation's veterans. At the north end of the plaza is the American Legion Mall, which is the site of the administration buildings of the Legion, as well as a memorial cenotaph. South of that is the Veterans Memorial Plaza with its obelisk. Combined, it is the largest war memorial project in the United States.

E. M. Viquesney

Ernest Moore Viquesney was an American sculptor best known for his popular World War I monument Spirit of the American Doughboy.

<i>Liberty Arming the Patriot</i> United States historic place

Liberty Arming the Patriot, sometimes called Freedom Arming the Patriot, is a bronze sculpture at Park Place in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, commemorating the participation of the city's citizens in the American Civil War. It was designed by William Granville Hastings and cast by the Gorham Manufacturing Company in 1897. Unlike many Civil War memorials, Liberty Arming the Patriot is a dynamic composition, depicting a young farmer setting his plow aside, and reaching to take a sword from a classical female figure clad in breastplate and wielding a pike. The statue is 11 feet (3.4 m) in height, and is mounted on a granite base 10 feet (3.0 m) high and 22 feet (6.7 m) wide. The sculpture was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

Burt Johnson American sculptor

Burt William Johnson was an American sculptor.

General William Tecumseh Sherman Monument

The General William Tecumseh Sherman Monument is an equestrian statue of American Civil War Major General William Tecumseh Sherman located in Sherman Plaza, which is part of President's Park in Washington, D.C., in the United States. The selection of an artist in 1896 to design the monument was highly controversial. During the monument's design phase, artist Carl Rohl-Smith died, and his memorial was finished by a number of other sculptors. The Sherman statue was unveiled in 1903. It is a contributing property to the Civil War Monuments in Washington, D.C. and to the President's Park South, both of which are historic sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Stephenson Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Public artwork by J. Massey Rhind

The Stephenson Grand Army of the Republic Memorial, also known as Dr. Benjamin F. Stephenson, is a public artwork in Washington, D.C. honoring Dr. Benjamin F. Stephenson, founder of the Grand Army of the Republic, a fraternal organization for Union veterans. The memorial is sited at Indiana Plaza, located at the intersection of 7th Street, Indiana Avenue, and Pennsylvania Avenue NW in the Penn Quarter neighborhood. The bronze figures were sculpted by J. Massey Rhind, a prominent 20th-century artist. Attendees at the 1909 dedication ceremony included President William Howard Taft, Senator William Warner, and hundreds of Union veterans.

Liverpool Cenotaph

Liverpool Cenotaph stands on St George's Plateau, to the east of St George's Hall in Liverpool, England. It was erected as a memorial to those who had fallen in the First World War. The dates of the Second World War were subsequently added. The cenotaph consists of a rectangular block of stone on a stone platform, with bronze, low-relief sculptures on the sides depicting marching troops and mourners. It was designed by Lionel Budden, with carving by Herbert Tyson Smith. Initially designated as a Grade II listed building, its status was raised to Grade I in 2013.

Soldiers Home Historic District United States historic place

The Soldiers' Home Historic District, a historic Old soldiers' home campus, is located in Columbia Falls, Flathead County, Montana.

<i>107th Infantry Memorial</i> Sculpture in Manhattan, New York, U.S.

The 107th Infantry Memorial is an outdoor bronze sculpture and memorial located at the intersection of East 67th Street and Fifth Avenue in Central Park, in Manhattan, New York, which honors members of the 107th Infantry who died during World War I. Created by the sculptor Karl Morningstar Illava (1896–1954), who "drew from his own experience serving as a sergeant with the 107th," according to the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, the sculpture cost an estimated $60,000 at the time of its construction, depicts the actions of seven World War I-era soldiers, and rests on a 25-foot-wide stepped granite base designed by architects Rogers & Haneman.

Pietro Montana

Pietro Montana was a 20th-century Italian-American sculptor, painter and teacher, noted for his war memorials and religious works.

Young Memorial World War I memorial in Arkansas

The Young Memorial, also known as the War Memorial Monument, is a World War I memorial located on the campus of Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas. The sculpture consists of a semicircular seating area, its wings flanking a central square pedestal on which stands a carved rendition of a doughboy. The face of the pedestal bears a relief of the Statue of Liberty, while the backs of the seats have reliefs of female figures, one representing Liberty and the other Peace. The memorial was designed by Hendrix College Professor George Currie, and was placed in 1920.

Joseph Pollia Italian-born American sculptor

Joseph Pasquale Pollia was an Italian-born American sculptor who created numerous monuments and war memorials.

Lafayette Memorial Memorial in Brooklyn, New York, U.S.

The Lafayette Memorial is a public memorial located in Brooklyn's Prospect Park in New York City. The memorial, designed by sculptor Daniel Chester French and architect Henry Bacon, was dedicated in 1917 and consists of a bas-relief of Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette alongside a groom and a horse.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Jennifer Wingate (2013). Sculpting Doughboys: Memory, Gender, and Taste in America's World War I Memorials. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 43. ISBN   9781409406556 . Retrieved May 8, 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Onorato, Ronald J. (2001). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form - World War I Memorial". National Park Service. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
  4. 1 2 "Sculptor to Give Course for Blind at Museum School". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. October 23, 1932. p. 20. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
  5. "The Art Gallery - Pietro Montana, Brooklyn Sculptor". Brooklyn Life and Activities of Long Island Society (Brooklyn, New York). February 21, 1925. p. 14. Retrieved July 17, 2015.