Maine Memorial, (sculpture).

Maine Memorial, (sculpture).

Keck, Charles, 1875-1951, sculptor.

Roush, Stanley, 1885-1946, architect.

Clark, William E., designer.

Maine Memorial, (sculpture).

Dedicated Sept. 16, 1914. Feb. 15, 1915.

Digital Reference:

Relief plaques: limestone; Torpedo tube and porthole from battleship: metal; Wall: brick; Basin: concrete and brick; Bench: concrete; Hidden box: copper.

Center plaque: approx. 42 x 114 x 2 in.; Basin: approx. Diam: 35 ft.

(Inscribed on left plaque:) TO THE/BRAVE SEAMAN/WHO DIED/ON THE MAINE/FEB 15 1898 (Inscribed on the central plaque:) MAINE MEMORIAL/COMMEMORATING THE DESCRIPTION OF THE BATTLESHIP MAINE IN/HAVANA HARBOR CUBA FEBRUARY 15 1898 AND TO THE SOLDIERS SAILORS/AND MARINES OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE/SPANISH AMERICAN WAR OF 1898-1899 WHICH FOLLOWED THIS DISASTER/ERECTED A-D-1914 BY THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH AND THE COUNTY OF/ALLEGHENY IN GRATEFUL RECOGNITION OF THEIR PATRIOTIC SERVICE (Inscribed on right plaque:) TO LIEUTENANT/FRIEND W.JENKINS/BORN ALLEGHENY/JUNE 26 1865/DIED ON THE MAINE/FEB.15 1898/STUDENT/UNIVERSITY/OF PITTSBURGH/CLASS 1882 unsigned

The torpedo tube and armored porthole of the battleship Maine are situated in the center of a circular basin set into the ground slightly below ground level. The floor of basin is lined with brick and a concrete bench surrounds the basin. In back of the sculpture and basin is a semicircular brick wall containing three plaques. The plaque on the right is a relief of a kneeling naval officer in profile holding a sword and is dedicated to Lt. Friend William Jenkins, the only Pittsburgh officer killed on the Maine; the central plaque flanked by two birds, bears an inscription honoring all of the soldier, sailors, and marines of Allegheny County who served in the Spanish-American War; and the plaque on the left includes a relief of a kneeling sailor in profile. The figures are loosely modeled and are without facial features.

History -- United States -- Spanish American War

Object -- Weapon -- Ammunition

Figure male -- Full length

Occupation -- Military -- Sailor

Object -- Weapon -- Sword

Animal -- Bird -- Eagle

Outdoor Sculpture -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh

Administered by City of Pittsburgh, Citiparks, Department of Public Works, 611 Second Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222

Located West Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The three relief plaques were not placed on the site at the initial dedication ceremony but were put in place on February 15, 1915. The relief plaques were created by Charles Keck. Allegheny County, the city of Pittsburgh and the Veterans of the Spanish American War ultimately shared the 7,000 dollar expenditure needed for the memorial. In the wall, behind the center inscription plaque is a copper box containing the names of more than eight hundred contributors to the memorial fund. Architect William E. Clark first submitted a design for the memorial, but the Maine Memorial Association was not satisfied with it and eventually selected a redesign created by architect Stanley Roush. IAS files contain related information from "Story of Old Allegheny City," Pittsburgh: Allegheny Centennial Committee, 1941, pg. 177. IAS files also contain a design drawing for the monument from the files of the Art Commission of the City of Pittsburgh at the Carnegie-Mellon University Architecture Archives.

Index of American Sculpture, University of Delaware, 1985.

Evert, Marilyn, "Discovering Pittsburgh's Sculpture," Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1983, pg. 18-19.

National Park Service, American Monuments and Outdoor Sculpture Database, PA0146, PA5088, PA5042,1989.

Monumental News, Jan. 1913; June 1914.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Pennsylvania survey, 1995.

Evert, Marilyn, "Discovering Pittsburgh's Sculpture," Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1983, pg. 49-50.

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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