- Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument (Indianapolis)
-
For other monuments with the same name, see Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument (disambiguation).State Soldiers and Sailors Monument
Location: Monument Circle, Indianapolis, Indiana Coordinates: 39°46′6″N 86°9′29″W / 39.76833°N 86.15806°WCoordinates: 39°46′6″N 86°9′29″W / 39.76833°N 86.15806°W Area: 1 acre (0.40 ha) Built: 1888 Architect: Bruno Schmitz Governing body: State NRHP Reference#: 73000040[1] Added to NRHP: 1973-02-23 The Indiana Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument is a 284 ft 6 in (86.72 m) tall neoclassical monument in the center of Indianapolis, Indiana (and Marion County, Indiana) that was designed by German architect Bruno Schmitz and completed in 1901.
The monument was erected to honor Hoosiers who were veterans of the American Revolution, territorial conflicts that partially led up to the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the US Civil War, and the Spanish American War. In addition to its external commemorative statuary and fountains (made primarily of oolitic limestone and bronze) the basement of the monument is the Colonel Eli Lilly Civil War Museum, a museum of Indiana history during the American Civil War.
At the top there is also an observation deck that can be reached by stairs for free or by elevator for a $2.00 charge. It takes 331 steps to reach this deck, 330 of which are numbered. In 1902 the cost to build this monument was (US) $598,318. It has been estimated that building a similar structure today would cost over $500,000,000.[2]
It is about 21 feet (6.4 m) shorter than the 305-foot (93 m) tall Statue of Liberty.
Contents
History
Indianapolis was selected in 1820 to be the site of the new capital of Indiana, and the city's layout was platted by Alexander Ralston, whose design included a circle at the center of the city.[3] The four city blocks in the center were called the Governor's Circle, which had a three-acre circle surrounded by an 80-foot street on which the Governor's Mansion was built in 1827.[4] However, due to the residence's public location and poor construction, no governor ever lived there and it was torn down in 1857.[5] As Indianapolis grew and developed after the Civil War, the area became a popular meeting place and was designated Circle Park.[6] In 1884, a statue at the center of the circle of Oliver P. Morton, governor during the Civil War, was dedicated.[7]
Many times after the Civil War it was suggested that a monument be built in city to honor Indiana's veterans. Action was finally taken in 1887 when the Indiana General Assembly made a $200,000 grant and formed a Monument Commission, which included General Mahlon D. Manson, Thomas W. Bennett, and Thomas A. Morris.[8] Seventy designs were submitted in the international contest, of which two were chosen for further consideration. The commissioners then unanimously chose the design called Symbol of Indiana by the Prussian architect Bruno Schmitz, who was named supervising architect and given a pay of 5% of the monument's total cost.[9]
The cornerstone was laid on August 22, 1889, and inside it is a copper box containing a list of all Indiana soldiers as well as newspapers, the Constitution of Indiana, a national flag, and other related paraphernalia. Ceremonies included a speech by President Benjamin Harrison, firing of artillery, and a parade. It was the first monument dedicated to the common soldier.[10] The structure took twelve years to complete, and more funds were required. The legislature appropriated an additional $160,000 and raised over $123,000 with an additional property tax. In 1893 the circle was renamed Monument Place.[11]
The Indiana State Soldiers and Sailors Monument was formally dedicated on May 15, 1902. After a parade of flags with veterans of the Mexican, Civil, and Spanish-American Wars, General Lew Wallace was the master of ceremonies. General David R. Lucas led in prayer, and Governor Winfield T. Durban, Lew Wallace, and former Secretary of State John W. Foster gave speeches. Next, a male chorus sang and poet James Whitcomb Riley read his poem "The Soldier". John Philip Sousa had composed a march for the occasion entitled "The Messiah of the Nations".[12] Following a second parade, the bells of Christ Church sounded and its choir sang "My Country, 'Tis of Thee".
In 1918 a museum opened in the basement of the monument that has equipment and artifacts from the Civil War. Flood lights were added to the surrounding candelabra in 1928.[13] Since 1945, the monument has been decorated for Christmas and in 1962 it was first decorated as the world's largest Christmas tree, with garlands and cables of lights stretching to the top.[14] The Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 13, 1973.[1]
A series of repairs to the monument began in September 2009. Angled windows, which had allowed some rain to seep in, were replaced with vertical windows, and steel supports for the Victory statue were replaced.[15][16]
Monument Circle
The side of the circle is now guarded by bronze statues of four wartime leaders: George Rogers Clark, military conqueror of the Old Northwest; William Henry Harrison, first governor of the Indiana Territory and general during the War of 1812 (and, later, 9th President of the United States); James Whitcomb, governor of Indiana during the Mexican-American War; and Oliver Morton, governor during the Civil War.
The outside of the circle is today surrounded by small retail shops, including the South Bend Chocolate Factory, studios for several local radio stations, the Hilbert Circle Theatre (home of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra), financial institutions, the Columbia Club (one of the oldest social clubs of Indianapolis), and Christ Church Cathedral, a historic Episcopal church, and the IPL corporate headquarters. The circle is the standard symbol of the city of Indianapolis, and the flag of Indianapolis is an iconic representation of Monument Circle and the two streets (Meridian and Market) that feed in and out of it. One of Indy's recognizable nicknames, "the Circle City", comes from Monument Circle.
Christmas
Every Christmas season the monument is decorated as an enormous Christmas tree. This city tradition is known as the Circle of Lights and has been done annually since 1962. The tree lighting ceremony is held the day after Thanksgiving. The decoration of the monument uses 4,784 lights and 52 strands of garland. More than 100,000 people attend the ceremony and the event is televised to an even larger audience.[17]
Gallery
-
looking at the monument from the south, with the Chase Tower in the background
References
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html.
- ^ Indy.gov
- ^ Rose 1-2
- ^ Rose 6
- ^ Rose 6-9
- ^ Rose 11
- ^ Rose 42
- ^ Rose 44
- ^ Rose 46
- ^ Rose 48
- ^ Rose 50
- ^ Rose 56-57
- ^ Rose 57-58
- ^ Rose 81
- ^ WISH (2009-11-11). Monument repairs taking longer than expected. WISH-TV, Indianapolis. Retrieved on 2009-11-11 from http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/local/marion_county/Monument_repairs_taking_longer_than_expected_20091111.
- ^ Beard, Stephen J.; and Campbell, Michael (2009). The Monument's observation deck reopens Nov. 28. IndyStar.com, The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved from http://www.indystar.com/article/99999999/NEWS/91125021/.
- ^ Indianapolis Circle of Lights
Rose, Ernestine Bradford (1971). The Circle: The Center of Indianapolis. Indianapolis: Crippin Printing Corporation.
External links
- Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument and Colonel Eli Lilly Civil War Museum website
- Information about the monument from IUPUI
- State Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument from Indianapolis, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary
National Register of Historic Places in Indianapolis, Indiana Administration Building, Indiana Central University • The Alameda • The Alexandra • Alfred M. Glossbrenner Mansion • Allison Mansion • The Ambassador • Anderson-Thompson House • Arthur Jordan Memorial Hall • Aston Inn • Athenaeum (Das Deutsche Haus) • August Sommer House • L.S. Ayres Annex Warehouse • The Baker • Balmoral Court • Bals-Wocher House • Bates-Hendricks House • Benjamin Franklin Public School Number 36 • Benjamin Harrison House • Benton House • Bethel A.M.E. Church • Big Run Baptist Church and Cemetery • Joseph J. Bingham Indianapolis Public School No. 84 • The Blacherne • Brendonwood Historic District • Broad Ripple Park Carousel • The Buckingham • The Burton • Bush Stadium • Butler Fieldhouse • Byram-Middleton House • Calvin I. Fletcher House • Camp Edwin F. Glenn • Carlos and Anne Recker House • The Cathcart • Central Court Historic District • Central Library (Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library) • The Chadwick • Charles Kuhn House • Chatham-Arch Historic District • Christ Church Cathedral • Christamore House • Christian Park School No. 82 • Circle Theater • City Market • Cole Motor Car Company • The Colonial • Columbia Club • Cottage Home Historic District • Cotton-Ropkey House • Coulter Flats • Crispus Attucks High School • Crown Hill Cemetery • Crown Hill National Cemetery • The Dartmouth • Delaware Court • Delaware Flats • The Devonshire • The Emelie • Ralph Waldo Emerson Indianapolis Public School No. 58 • Esplanade Apartments • Fidelity Trust Building • Flanner House Homes • Fletcher Place Historic District • Forest Hills Historic District • Fort Benjamin Harrison Historic District • Fort Benjamin Harrison Historic District (Boundary Increase) • Foster Hall • General German Protestant Orphans Home • George Philip Meier House • George Stumpf House • George Washington Tomlinson House • The Glencoe • Golden Hill Historic District • The Grover • Hammond Block (Budnick's Trading Mart) • Hanna-Ochler-Elder House • The Harriett • Haughville Historic District • Hawthorne Branch Library No. 2 • Heier's Hotel • Henry F. Campbell Mansion • Henry P. Coburn Public School No. 66 • Herron-Morton Place Historic District • Hillcrest Country club • Hiram A. Haverstick Farmstead • Hollingsworth House • Holy Rosary-Danish Church Historic District • Horace Mann Public School No. 13 • Hotel Washington • Independent Turnverein • Indiana Avenue Historic District • Indiana Oxygen Company • Indiana School for the Deaf • Indiana Statehouse • Indiana State Federation of Colored Women's Clubs • Indiana State Library and Historical Building • Indiana Theatre • Indiana World War Memorial Plaza • Indianapolis Fire Headquarters and Municipal Garage • Indianapolis Masonic Temple • Indianapolis Motor Speedway • Indianapolis News Building • Indianapolis Park and Boulevard System • Indianapolis Union Railroad Station • Indianapolis Union Station-Wholesale District • Irvington Historic District • James Whitcomb Riley House • Jamieson-Bennett House • John Fitch Hill House • John Greenleaf Whittier School, No. 33 • Johnson-Denny House • Joseph J. Cole, Jr., House and 1925 Cole Brouette No. 70611 • Julian-Clark House • Laurel and Prospect District • Linwood Colonial Apartments • Lockefield Garden Apartments • Lockerbie Square Historic District • Lockerbie Square Historic District Amendment (Boundary Increase) • The Lodge • Lombard Building • Louis Levey Mansion • Madame C. J. Walker Building • Majestic Building • Manchester Apartments • Marcy Village Apartments • Marion County Bridge 0501F • Marott Hotel • Marott's Shoes Building • Martens • Massachusetts • Massachusetts Avenue Commercial District • Mayleeno • McCormick Cabin Site • McKay • Merchants National Bank and Annex • Meridian Park Historic District • Michigan Road Toll House • Military Park • Morris-Butler House • Morrison Block (M. O'Connor Grocery Wholesalers) • Mt. Pisgah Lutheran Church • Myrtle Fern • New Augusta Historic District • Nicholson-Rand House • North Meridian Street Historic District • Northside Historic District • North Irvington Gardens Historic District • Nurses' Sunken Garden and Convalescent Park • Oldfields • Old Indianapolis City Hall • Old Northside Historic District • Old Pathology Building • Old Southport High School • Oliver Johnson's Woods Historic District • Oxford • Pearson Terrace • Pennsylvania • Pierson-Griffiths House • Plaza • The Propylaeum (John W. Schmidt House) • Prosser House • Ransom Place Historic District • Reserve Loan Life Insurance Company • Rink • Rink's Women's Apparel Store • Rivoli Theater • Roberts Park Methodist Episcopal Church • Roy and Iris Corbin Lustron House • Saint James Court • St. John's Church and Rectory • St. Joseph Neighborhood Historic District • St. Mary's Catholic Church • St. Philip Neri Parish Historic District • Savoy • Schnull-Rauch House • Scottish Rite Cathedral • Selig's Dry Goods Company Building • The Seville • Sheffield Inn • Shelton • Shortridge High School • Sid-Mar • Spink • Spink Arms Hotel • State Soldiers and Sailors Monument • State and Prospect District • Stewart Manor (Charles B. Sommers House) • Sylvania • Taylor Carpet Company Building • Test Building • Thomas Askren House • Thomas Moore House • Town of Crows Nest Historic District • U.S. Arsenal (Arsenal Technical High School) • U.S. Courthouse and Post Office • University Park • Vera and the Olga • Vienna • Virginia Avenue District • Washington Park Historic District • Washington Street-Monument Circle Historic District • H. P. Wasson and Company Building • West Washington Street Pumping Station • Wheeler-Schebler Carburetor Company • Wheeler-Stokely Mansion • Wil-Fra-Mar • William Buschmann Block • William H. H. Graham House • William N. Thompson House • Wilson • Woodruff Place • Woodstock Country Club • Wyndham • YWCA Blue Triangle Residence Hall
Art Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art · Indianapolis Art Center · Indianapolis Museum of Art · Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art ·
Biographical History Colonel Eli Lilly Civil War Museum · Conner Prairie · Crispus Attucks Museum · Indiana History Center · Indiana State Museum · Indiana World War Memorial Plaza · Indianapolis Firefighters Museum
Science & technology Sports Miscellaneous See also List of public art in IndianapolisMilitary Indiana World War Memorial Plaza · Medal of Honor Memorial · Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument · USS Indianapolis National Mermorial
Groups Coal Miners · Confederate POWs · Indiana Law Enforcement and Firefighters Memorial · Project 9/11 Indianapolis · Workers' Memorial Sculpture
Individuals Depew Memorial Fountain · Landmark for Peace Memorial · Louis Chevrolet Memorial · Henry W. Lawton · Peirce Geodetic Monument
Cemeteries See also Indiana Statehouse Public Art CollectionCategories:- National Register of Historic Places in Indianapolis, Indiana
- Buildings and structures completed in 1901
- Buildings and structures in Indianapolis, Indiana
- Town squares
- United States military memorials and cemeteries
- History of Indianapolis, Indiana
- Monuments and memorials in Indiana
- Towers in Indiana
- Visitor attractions in Indianapolis, Indiana
- Fountains in the United States
- Streets in Indianapolis, Indiana
- Terminating vistas in the United States
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.