1870: Building the Washington Square Arch
Photograph of The Washington Square Arch in its final stages of construction. The arch is a historic monument located in Washington Square Park. It was designed by Stanford White in 1891 to commemorate the centennial of George Washington’s inauguration as President of the United States. The monument’s total height is 77 feet (23 m), and the piers stand 30 feet (9.1 m) apart, with the arch opening being 47 feet (14 m) high.
The arch was built as a permanent structure to replace a temporary wooden and plaster arch that was erected in 1889 for a citywide celebration of Washington’s centennial. It was designed in the style of a Roman triumphal arch, with a design similar to the Arch of Titus in Rome and is an expression of the City Beautiful movement, which sought to create civic structures and public spaces in America whose beauty and stature would rival those of Europe.
The iconography of the Arch centers on images of war and peace. On the frieze are 13 large stars and 42 small stars, interspersed with capital “W”s, and the inscription on the attic story reads: “Let us raise a standard to which the wise and the honest can repair. The event is in the hand of God” —Washington.
The north side of the eastern pier bears the sculpture George Washington as Commander-in-Chief, Accompanied by Fame and Valor (1914–1916) by Hermon A. MacNeil, while the western pier has George Washington as President, Accompanied by Wisdom and Justice (1917–1918) by Alexander Stirling Calder. These sculptures are commonly referred to as Washington at War and Washington at Peace, respectively
The Washington Square Arch has become an unofficial symbol of New York University, which is located nearby. It has undergone several restorations over the years, including a major cleaning and restoration in 2003-04 and continues to be a popular tourist attraction and a beloved landmark in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City