Greek Temple Monument War Memorial, (sculpture).

Greek Temple Monument War Memorial, (sculpture).

MacMonnies, Frederick William, 1863-1937, sculptor.

Emile Diebitch Inc., fabricator.

Carrere & Hastings, designer.

Kunst Foundry, founder.

Greek Temple Monument War Memorial, (sculpture).

World War I Memorial, (sculpture).

Liberty in Distress, (sculpture).

Temple installed 1922 or 1923. Liberty: 1928. Liberty: installed 1929.

Digital Reference:

Liberty: bronze; Base: Vermont green marble.

Temple: approx. Diam. 124 ft.; Liberty: approx. H. 9 ft.; Base: approx. H. 5 ft.

(On base, right:) Macmonnies 1928 (On base, left:) CAST FROM/THE WORKING MODEL (On base, rear:) KUNST FOUNDRY, N.Y.C. (Inside temple frieze, incised lettering:) THIS MONUMENT WAS ERECTED IN 1922 BY THE CITY OF ATLANTIC CITY IN HONOR OF THOSE OF HER CITIZENS WHO SERVED IN THE WORLD WAR 1917-1918 (Outside temple frieze, incised lettering: list of World War I battles)

(On plaque on rotunda outside wall facing ocean, raised lettering:) CITY OF ATLANTIC CITY/IN COMMEMORATION OF THE RESTORATION OF THE GREEK TEMPLE MONUMENT/MAY 12, 1988 (On columns, list of committee, developer and councilmen names) (Across bottom:) THIS PROJECT WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY DAVID R. ZARIN/UNDER THE 1% FOR ART PROGRAM INTEGRATING ART WITH ARCHITECTURE FOR CITY BEAUTIFICATION unsigned

A circular Greek temple with 16 Doric columns and centered in the rotunda, a sculptural group representing Liberty. The sculpture depicts a nude Liberty screaming in victory and sadness as the bodies of war dead fall and pile around her feet. The body of a nude male hangs over her proper right leg. She holds a broken sword in her proper left hand, as a dog, (representing Fidelity) and a rooster (representing France) stand at her feet. The sculpture is mounted upon an octagonal base with a wreath in relief on every other side. The temple is set upon a stepped base.

Figure group -- Nude

Allegory -- Civic -- Liberty

Allegory -- Other -- Triumph

Allegory -- Quality -- Faith

Allegory -- Place -- France

State of Being -- Emotion -- Sorrow

State of Being -- Evil -- War

State of Being -- Death

Animal -- Bird -- Chicken

Object -- Weapon -- Sword

Outdoor Sculpture -- New Jersey -- Atlantic City

Administered by City of Atlantic City, Fine Arts Commission Garden Pier Cultural Arts Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey 08401

Located Intersection of O'Donnell Parkway & Albany Avenue, Atlantic City, New Jersey

The idea for a memorial originated in 1907, when the City contracted with Carrrere & Hastings architectural firm to lay out a "city beautiful" plan. World War I delayed implementation plans and the temple was not built until 1922 or 1923. The temple (minus the Liberty figure) cost $93,039 and was built by Emile Diebitch, Inc., with modifications to the Carrere & Hastings design. Conflicting dates are given for temple installation. The interior frieze inscription provides erection date of 1922; but Frank Butler's "The Book of the Boardwalk," Haines Co., 1952, pg. 121 reports that "temple was erected in 1923." MacMonnies created the figure of Liberty which was not installed until 1929. The figure of Liberty cost $19,000; its base, designed by Emile Diebitch, cost $3,200.

The temple and sculpture were restored in 1988 under the direction of the Atlantic City Fine Arts Commission with funding from the One Percent for Arts Program. IAS files contain excerpt from Frank Butler's "The Book of the Boardwalk," Haines Co., 1952, pg. 121-122; and related information from the Atlantic City Fine Arts Commission.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, New Jersey survey, 1995.

Smart, Mary, "A Flight with Fame: the life and art of Frederick MacMonnies, with a Catalogue Raisonne of Sculpture and a Checklist of Paintings by E. Adina Gordon," Madison, CT: Sound View Press, 1996, no. 97.

Smart, Mary, "A Flight with Fame: the life and art of Frederick MacMonnies, with a Catalogue Raisonne of Sculpture and a Checklist of Paintings by E. Adina Gordon," Madison, CT: Sound View Press, 1996, pg. 309.

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

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