The ''Doughboy'' is a

war memorial A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war. Symbolism Historical usage It has ...

and neighborhood landmark in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. Located at the Y-shaped intersection of Lawrenceville's two busiest commercial streets, Butler Street and

Penn Avenue Penn Avenue is a major arterial street in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh and Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, Wilkinsburg, in Pennsylvania, United States. Its western terminus lies at Gateway Center (Pittsburgh), Gateway Center in Downtown Pi ...

, the monument has become a symbol of the neighborhood and "probably the most well known veterans monument in Pittsburgh". In 2019, it was listed as a

contributing property In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic dist ...

in the Lawrenceville Historic District. The Doughboy statue was sculpted by

Allen George Newman Allen George Newman III (August 28, 1875 – February 2, 1940) was an American sculptor, best known for his statue '' "The Hiker"''. Early life He was born in New York City, the son of hardware manufacturer Allen G. Newman, Jr. and his wife Ada ...

and dedicated on

Memorial Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. It is observed on the last Monday of May. It i ...

in 1921. It stands in a small triangular public space in front of the Pennsylvania National Bank Building called Doughboy Square.

History

In 1918, the Lawrenceville Board of Trade organized a carnival in

Arsenal Park The Allegheny Arsenal, established in 1814, was an important supply and manufacturing center for the Union Army during the American Civil War, and the site of the single largest civilian disaster during the war. It was located in the community ...

to raise money for the troops fighting in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. When the war ended before the money could be put to use, neighborhood leaders decided to spend it on a memorial instead. The monument was sculpted by

, who was known for his military-themed works including '' The Hiker'', a depiction of a weary

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

soldier which was widely reproduced. Newman's bronze Doughboy statue was unveiled on

in 1921 with over 20,000 onlookers present; the '' Pittsburgh Gazette Times'' described the occasion as the "largest ceremonial event ever witnessed in Lawrenceville". The memorial originally honored the residents of Pittsburgh's Sixth Ward (comprising Lower Lawrenceville,

Polish Hill Polish Hill () is a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Primarily a residential area, it is home to Pittsburgh's Immaculate Heart of Mary church. History Large numbers of Polish immigrants settled the neighborhood after the mid 1800s. The ...

, and the upper Strip District) who served in World War I. In 1947, the statue was given a new marble and limestone base with bronze plaques listing the names of the 3,100 Sixth Ward residents who served in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, including the 53 who died in action. An additional plaque honoring veterans of the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

and

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

was added to the railing around the memorial in 1984. Newman made two other casts of the ''Doughboy'' statue. One was dedicated in 1929 in Memorial Park in

Cliffside Park, New Jersey Cliffside Park is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 25,693, an increase of 2,099 (+8.9%) from the 2010 census count of 23,594, which in turn reflecte ...

, while the other was kept in Newman's personal collection. After his death, the statue was sold to the village of

Rhinebeck, New York Rhinebeck is a village (New York), village in the Rhinebeck (town), New York, town of Rhinebeck in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 2,657 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Kiryas Joel–Poughkeepsie–Newburgh metr ...

, where it is displayed on East Market Street. On Memorial Day 2020 the statue was vandalized with a message supportive of

Shining Path The Shining Path (, SL), self-named the Communist Party of Peru (, abbr. PCP), is a far-left political party and guerrilla group in Peru, following Marxism–Leninism–Maoism and Gonzalo Thought. Academics often refer to the group as the ...

References

{{reflist Lawrenceville (Pittsburgh) World War I memorials in the United States Statues in Pittsburgh Monuments and memorials in Pittsburgh 1921 establishments in Pennsylvania Monuments and memorials completed in the 1920s