Andrew W. Mellon Memorial Fountain, (sculpture).

Andrew W. Mellon Memorial Fountain, (sculpture).

Waugh, Sidney, 1904-1963, sculptor.

Eggers, Otto R., 1882-1964, architect.

McShain, John, contractor.

Eggers Group Architects, architectural firm.

Clarke, Rapuano and Holleran, landscape architect.

General Bronze Company, founder.

Modern Art Foundry, founder.

Tuck and Eipel, engineering firm.

Edward E. Ashley Associates, engineering firm.

Andrew W. Mellon Memorial Fountain, (sculpture).

1949-1951. Dedicated May 9, 1952.

Three-tiered fountain: bronze; Outer basin: Swenson's Pink granite or concrete with quartz stones; Walkway and bench: granite.

Fountain: approx. Diam: 38 ft.; Base: approx. 66 ft.

(On granite bench surrounding fountain:) 1855.ANDREW W. MELLON.1937/FINANCIER.INDUSTRIALIST.STATESMAN/SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY 1921-1932 AMBASSADOR TO GREAT BRITAIN 1932-1933/FOUNDER OF THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART 1937/THIS FOUNTAIN IS A TRIBUTE FROM HIS FRIENDS

Round fountain consisting three bronze basins, a small basin inside a medium-sized basin inside a large basin, with a granite outer basin. The exterior of the largest bronze basin is adorned with the signs of the zodiac which are placed in correct astrological position for the sun's rays. Water shoots up in a tall jet from the small basin in the interior and cascades over the edge of each basin. When the water reaches the largest bronze basin, it falls over the edge into a granite basin. The fountain is surrounded by a seven foot wide granite walkway and a semi-circular granite bench is around the outer edge of the installation.

Emblem -- Zodiac

Outdoor Sculpture -- District of Columbia -- Washington

Administered by United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Washington, District of Columbia

Located Constitution Avenue & 6th Street at Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, District of Columbia

Andrew Mellon (1855-1937) served as secretary of the treasury from 1921-1932 and as ambassador to Great Britain from 1932-1933. In 1937 he donated his art collection and the funding to build the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. This memorial cost $300,000 and was donated by the friends of Andrew Mellon through the Andrew W. Mellon Memorial Committee. The memorial was authorized by Congress on July 16, 1947. IAS files contain related articles from Washington Star, April 16, 1947; July 13, 1948; Dec. 11, 1948; December 14, 1949; and May 10, 1952; and the Washington Post, Dec. 11, 1948; May 10, 1952; Dec. 15, 1949.

IAS files also contain an excerpt from Jannelle Warren-Findley's Aug. 1, 1985 report for the National Park Service entitled, "A Guide to Selected Statues, Monuments and Memorials," National Capital Parks - Central, National Park Service, Washington, D.C. (RFQ 3-4-1919) which includes a brief maintenance history, a list of bibliographic sources, and notes to additional information found in National Park Service files. The report notes that Tuck and Eipel were the structural engineers and Edward E. Ashley Associates were the mechanical engineers, and that while excavating for the fountain, a 7 ft. x 8 ft. tunnel was discovered. It had to be backfilled with concrete to achieve a proper bearing for the fountain and two concentric rings of 30-ton concrete piles had to be driven down 30-40 feet into the ground to ensure that the ground was level.

The fountain's largest bronze basin was the largest basin ever cast in bronze at that time and it required casting in four sections which then had to be fitted together with great precision. General Bronze Company cast the fountain and it is possible that the Modern Art Foundry cast the zodiac signs. The National Park Service report notes that a press release indicated the outer basin was made of concrete pebbled with quartz stone; however, the Park Service report indicates that granite was the medium.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, District of Columbia survey, 1993.

Gurney, George, "Sculpture and the Federal Triangle," Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1985, pg. 335-402.

Goode, James M., "The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, D.C., A Comprehensive Historical Guide," Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1974, pg. 144.

Michael Richman, SAAM curatorial assistant, 1967-1969.

Goode, James M., "The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, D.C., A Comprehensive Historical Guide," Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1974, pg. 144.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

Control Number:

Horizon Information Portal 3.25_9382

Powered by SirsiDynix

About | © 2020 Smithsonian | Terms of Use | Privacy | Contact

SIRIS - Smithsonian Institution Research Information System