Monumento a Thomas Jefferson
El Memorial a Thomas Jefferson es un memorial presidencial en Washington D.C. que está dedicado a Thomas Jefferson, uno de los Padres Fundadores de los Estados Unidos y el tercer presidente de los Estados Unidos.
El edificio neoclásico fue diseñado por John Russell Pope y se completó en 1943. Lo componen unos escalones de mármol, una cúpula y un pórtico. Es un edificio que se encuentra al aire libre en el parque West Potomac Park, en la orilla de la Cuenca Tidal en el río Potomac. Es uno de los puntos de amarre principales en la zona del National Mall, ya que forma una linea recta con el Monumento Washington y la Casa Blanca. El Memorial a Jefferson lo cuidan la división del National Mall y parques memoriales del Servicio Nacional de Parques.
Historia
Alrededor de 1930 había monumentos en Washington DC conmemorando a los grandes presidentes de los Estados Unidos, incluyendo a Abraham Lincoln y George Washington. El presidente Franklin Roosevelt pensó que Thomas Jefferson se merecía un monumento. El 26 de junio de 1934 lideró una iniciativa en el Congreso de los Estados Unidos para aprobar una resolución para crear un monumento conmemorativo a Jefferson.
The memorial was designed by John Russell Pope — also the architect of the original (west) building of the National Gallery of Art. The memorial's design reflects characteristics of buildings designed by Jefferson such as Monticello and the Rotunda, which reflect his fascination with Roman architecture. The Jefferson Memorial bears some resemblance to the Pantheon of Rome.
Construction
The cornerstone was laid on November 15, 1939 — two years after Pope's death. Daniel P. Higgins and Otto R. Eggers took over construction of the memorial. The memorial was constructed with Danby Imperial marble (Vermont) for the exterior walls and columns, Tennessee pink marble for the interior floor, Georgian white marble for the interior wall panels, and Missouri gray marble for the pedestal. Indiana limestone was used in construction of the ceiling. [1] The cost of construction was slightly more than $3 million.
The Jefferson Memorial was officially dedicated on April 13, 1943 — the 200th anniversary of Jefferson's birth. One of the last American public monuments in the Beaux-Arts tradition, it was severely criticized even as it was being built, by those who adhered to the modernist argument that dressing 20th century buildings like Greek and Roman temples constituted a "tired architectural lie." More than 60 years ago, Pope responded with silence to critics who dismissed him as part of an enervated architectural elite practicing "styles that are safely dead". As a National Memorial it was administratively listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.
Interior
The interior of the memorial has a 19 foot (5.8 m) tall, 10,000 pound (5 t) bronze statue of Jefferson by sculptor Rudulph Evans which was added four years after the dedication, and the interior walls are engraved with passages from Jefferson's writings. Most prominent are the words which are inscribed around the monument near the roof: "I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man." This sentence is taken from a September 23, 1800, letter by Jefferson to Dr. Benjamin Rush.
The 129 foot (39 m) dome is 4 feet (1.2 m) thick and the memorial weighs 32,000 short tons (29,000 metric tonnes). The sculpture in the pediment was created by Adolph Alexander Weinman.
Location
The site of the monument in Washington D.C West Potomac Park, on the shore of the Potomac River Tidal Basin, is enhanced with the massed planting of Japanese cherry trees, the gift of the people of Japan in 1912.
The monument is not as prominent in popular culture as other Washington, D.C. buildings and monuments, possibly due to its location well removed from the National Mall and the Washington Metro.
The Jefferson Memorial hosts many events and ceremonies each year, including memorial exercises, the Easter Sunrise Service, and the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival.
- ↑ - Stones and Mortar - National Park Service