Central Terrace

Central Terrace. Westward Expansion, Slavery Emancipation and Welcoming of Immigrants. , Construction of the Samuel Memorial began with the Central Terrace based on designs by architect Paul Phillipe Cret (1876-1945). Born in France and educated at the Ecole de Beaux-Arts in Paris, Cret moved to Philadelphia in 1903 to teach at the University of Pennsylvania. He was responsible for the Rodin museum, the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, the original plans for the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and the redesign of Rittenhouse Square., Beginning in 1929, Cret and his firm produced hundreds of drawings, sketches, and models for this Memorial. After Cret's death in 1945 the work was completed by his successor firm, Harbeson, Hough, Livingston and Larson (H2L2)., [Captions:] , This terrace is one of three built between 1933 and 1961 by the Fairmount Park Art Association through the bequest of philanthropist Ellen Phillips Samuel. Samuel's wish was to create a series of sculptures representing the history of America from the earliest settlers to the modern era., ❶ Spanning the Continent , 1937 , Robert Laurent (1890-1970) , The first sculpture installed at the Memorial in 1938, this bronze depicts western migration and the self-determination of the pioneers. The man and woman crossing the confidence, wheel between them, and ax in hand. Sculptor Laurent, a native of France, was instrumental in the revival of direct carving in wood and stone., ❷ The Ploughman , 1938 , J. Wallace Kelly (1894-1976), ❸ The Miner , 1938 , John B. Flannagen (1895-1942) , The Samuel Memorial committee wrote that "land and gold were probably the most basic urges" that propelled Americans westward across the continent. This is expressed in these dignified limestone figures., Sculptor Kelly was a native of the Philadelphia area. His works also adorn the N.W. Ayer Building on Washington Square., Flannagan, born in North Dakota, was one of America's preeminent stone carvers., ❹ The Immigrant , 1940 , Heinz Warneke (1895-1983), ❺ The Slave , 1940 , Helene Sardeau (1899-1968) , The pairing of these two sculptures acknowledges the consolidation of democracy and liberty that began in the decades from 1850 to 1880 with the freeing of slaves in the Civil War and the welcoming of immigrants from all lands., Belgium-born Sardeau's work is the only sculpture in the memorial created by a woman., Sculptor Warneke, a German immigrant to the United States, also created Cow Elephant and Calf at the Philadelphia Zoo., ❻ Welcoming to Freedom , 1939 , Maurice Sterne (1878-1957) , This bronze sculptural group symbolizes the welcoming of the oppressed from all lands. the seated figure is partially bound by chains which he is breaking. The standing figure represents the economic, social and religious freedoms found by new immigrants. Sculptor Maurice Sterne, a Russian-American, was an early teacher of Robert Laurent. Laurent's Spanning the Continent, stands opposite this piece (see #1)., ❼ The Spirit of Enterprise , 1950-1960 , Jacques Lipchitz (1891-1973) , This muscular pioneer surveys the continent, holding a caduceus, a symbol of safe passage. The eagle beside him optimistically suggests a unity of mankind and nature. This bronze, originally placed in the North Terrace in 1960, was relocated here in 1986., Sculptor Lipchitz, a native of Lithuania, moved to Paris in 190 where he emerged as the leading Cubist sculptor of his generation. He fled Nazi occupied France in 1941 and settled in America., Cret, seen here in 1936, created the plans for this terrace and the illustrations above.