Hello History Hatters!
The park which is today located in Dupont Circle once looked very different.
In fact, the designer of historic Washington, Pierre L'Enfant,
originally named the circle Pacific Circle.
In 1882, Congress renamed it Dupont Circle in
honor of Civil War Rear Admiral Samuel Francis Du Pont.
Congress also commissioned a statue to be erected in Du Pont's honor,
but the work by American sculptor Launt Thompson was criticized
for being an awkward eyesore, with iron
whiskers.
The Du Pont family offered to pay for its replacement and convinced Congress to remove it
to Wilmington, Delaware, where it still resides today.
Taking no chances on the second attempt to memorialize the rear-admiral, the
Du Pont family commissioned
the creators of the Lincoln Memorial, Daniel Chester French and Henry Bacon
to design the current fountain.
The inscription at the base of the fountain identifies Admiral Du Pont and states:
"This memorial fountain replaces a statue erected by the Congress of the United States
in recognition of his distinguished services."
No matter which of the six radial paths we take
each one will lead us to the Dupont Circle fountain, positioned in the center.
Once we reach the plaza, the fountain rises from the horizon
due to its gradually raised concrete
base with four sets of small steps
leading up to the marble fountains Basin
wall.
Peeking out from the fountain's base,
the three figures represent the sea, the
stars, and the wind, each eight feet tall.
These figures challenge us to brush past
them without even a glance.
One can almost hear the squawk of the seagull perched on the Sea's shoulder
as she holds the whole of a ship in a single hand and keeps a sea serpent at bay with only one foot.
The partially nude stars glances nonchalantly downward on her subjects
holding the earth peacefully in
her capable palm, while she runs her free
hand through her gorgeous locks of hair.
The wind holds tight to a conch shell in one hand and to his sail in the other.
His stylized drapery effectively creates a dramatized sense of movement,
but his struggling face arrests our attention on his handsome classical figure.
The design of the fountains upper basin permits water to trickle out of its tricorn spouts,
while affording viewers a nearly unobstructed view of the statues through the gap in the waterfalls.
One need only spend a moment near the fountain to discern that French and Bacon
designed a masterpiece.
In the 1970s Dupont Circle became the site of some of Washington's earliest
gay pride parades, with the first event held on a side street just a few blocks from the fountain.
Pride activities now encompass the whole neighborhood,
with special activities still taking place in the circle.
The circle remains a rallying point for protestors who congregate here
and then marched down Connecticut Avenue to the White House.
This was certainly the case during the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis during the Reagan Administration.
During troubling times, the fountain also serves as the altar for vigils,
such as the tragic shootings
at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida
In 2018, a memorial service was held here
to honor Matthew Shepard,
preceding his interment in the National Cathedral.
The fountain may be just cold marble,
but the active role it plays in the
lives of Washingtonians represents
something truly monumental.
