National Register of Historic Places

Dodge, Ruth Anne, Memorial

Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County, Iowa
Listed
February 8, 1980
Type
Object
Period
Listed
Ref No.
80001457

About this property

The Ruth Anne Dodge Memorial, also known as the Black Angel, is a historic object located in Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States. This is the only work in Iowa by the American sculptor Daniel Chester French. The cast bronze sculpture stands along the edge of Fairview Cemetery as a tribute to Ruth Anne Dodge, the wife of railroad magnate Grenville M. Dodge. The 8.5-foot (2.6 m) tall angel holds a water basin and is wreathed in laurel. Its pedestal is a representation of a ship's prow with a garland swag, carved in pink marble. The pedestal, platform and reflecting pool are the work of New York architect Henry Bacon. The work was commissioned by Dodge's daughters Anne Dodge and Ella Dodge Pusey. It represents a recurring dream their mother had as she was dying of cancer. An angel with a bowl of water approached her and urged her to drink. During the third occurrence of the dream Mrs. Dodge took a drink and she died not long after. The sculpture was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. In 2007 it was included as a contributing property in the Lincoln-Fairview Historic District.

Location

Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County, Iowa
41.26730, -95.84793

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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Nearby Historic Sites

Lincoln-Fairview Historic District
Modern
0.2 mi
Chevra B'nai Yisroel Synagogue
Industrial
0.3 mi
100 Block of West Broadway Historic District
Industrial
0.3 mi
Council Bluffs Telephone Exchange
Industrial
0.4 mi
Bennett Building
Industrial
0.5 mi

Questions about this property

When was Dodge, Ruth Anne, Memorial listed on the National Register?

Dodge, Ruth Anne, Memorial was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 8, 1980.

What type of historic resource is Dodge, Ruth Anne, Memorial?

Dodge, Ruth Anne, Memorial is classified as a object in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Dodge, Ruth Anne, Memorial?

The period of significance for Dodge, Ruth Anne, Memorial is recorded as the listed era.

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