Titanic Memorial
National Register of Historic Places

Titanic Memorial

Washington, District of Columbia County, District of Columbia
Listed
October 11, 2007
Type
Object
Period
Civil War
Ref No.
07001060

About this property

The Titanic Memorial is a granite statue in the Southwest Waterfront neighborhood of Washington, D.C., that honors the men who gave their lives so that women and children might be saved during the sinking of the Titanic. Ten days after the sinking, on April 25, 1912, a group of women formed a committee to raise money for a memorial to honor the sacrifice, with a limit of $1 per person. After sending thousands of cards to other women throughout the U.S., the funds the committee had raised alongside funding from the federal government were enough to complete the project. The competition-winning design by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, who later opened the Whitney Museum of American Art, became her first major commission. After planning and seeking approval from different agencies, the memorial was installed in 1930 and dedicated in May 1931. Among those at the dedication were President Herbert Hoover, First Lady Lou Henry Hoover, former first lady Helen Herron Taft, and other government officials. To make room for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the memorial was placed in storage for two years. It was reinstalled at its current location at Southwest Waterfront Park. It is sited near 4th and P Street SW near Fort Lesley J. McNair and across the Washington Channel from East Potomac Park. The centerpiece of the memorial depicts a partly clad male figure with arms outstretched standing on a square base. The base is flanked by a square exedra, created by architect Henry Bacon, which encloses a small, raised platform. The memorial was added to the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites and the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. The statue is one of a small number of prominent outdoor sculptures in Washington designed by women.

Location

Washington, District of Columbia County, District of Columbia
38.87725, -77.02073

Categories

ART
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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The Civil War
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The Soldiers
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Native Heritage
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Settlement
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Questions about this property

When was Titanic Memorial listed on the National Register?

Titanic Memorial was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 11, 2007.

What type of historic resource is Titanic Memorial?

Titanic Memorial is classified as a object in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Titanic Memorial?

The period of significance for Titanic Memorial is recorded as the civil_war era.

Can I research the history near Titanic Memorial?

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