Ward Circle is a
traffic circle at the intersection of Nebraska and
Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
Avenues in
Northwest
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A '' compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west— ...
,
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
The circle, totaling , is owned and administered by the
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...
through its
Rock Creek Park
Rock Creek Park is a large urban park that bisects the Northwest, Washington, D.C., Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. Created by Act of Congress in 1890, the park comprises 1,754 acres (2.74 mi2, 7.10 km2), generally along Rock Cr ...
unit.
On three sides is the campus of
American University
The American University (AU or American) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Its main campus spans 90-acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, in the Spri ...
, while the fourth is occupied by the
Nebraska Avenue Complex, a U.S. government facility.
The circle was constructed and landscaped in the 1930s to display the bronze, memorial
statue of Artemas Ward.
was the first Commander-in-Chief in the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
.
Sculptor
Leonard Crunelle created the statue over a three-year period, while the base and pedestal were built by J. F. Manning Co.
[Artemas Ward Marker Plans, Site Approved: Work on Monument to War Hero to Start Next Week]
. ''The Washington Post''. September 21, 1937. p. 13. The pedestal is made from
Stony Creek granite.
[
The president and fellows of ]Harvard University
Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
donated the $50,000 to cover the cost of the statue.[ The donation fulfilled the terms of the will of Artemus Ward, an alumnus of Harvard and the great-grandson of Maj. Gen. Artemus Ward.][Ward Statue to be Unveiled on Thursday: Delano to Preside Woodring to Speak Memorial to General]
. ''The Washington Post''. October 31, 1938. p. X3. The statue was unveiled on November 3, 1938, by Mrs. Wesley Feick, the great-great-granddaughter of Maj. Gen. Ward.[ ]Secretary of War
The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...
Harry Hines Woodring spoke at the unveiling.[
Located on the west side of the circle, the home of American University's School of Public Affairs was named for and is still sometimes known as ''Ward Circle''. In 2017, the official name of the building was changed to ''Kerwin Hall'' after former university president Cornelius M. Kerwin.]
See also
* List of circles in Washington, D.C.
References
External links
Ward Circle – Wikimapia
American University Park
Massachusetts Avenue (Washington, D.C.)
Squares, plazas, and circles in Washington, D.C.
Streets in Washington, D.C.
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