Columbia Heights in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Art for the People
Rock Creek Park
| — | National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior | — |
Congress ordered sculptures installed at Meridian Hill Park long before the park's completion. So many sculptures were authorized that Horace Peaslee, the park's architect, called for a moratorium on installations. He told the Commission of Fine Arts that the park's master plan was in jeopardy unless future memorials were restricted to decorative urns in niches designed for that purpose.
Nature, vandals, and thieves have long threatened the park's public art. For years, Joan of Arc did not wield her sword. Serenity lost her nose, a toe, and a hand. The Armillary Sphere, located south of the reflecting pool beyond the cascades, is a replica. It replaced the original sphere, which the National Park Service removed in the 1970s due to vandalism.
For more information visit: go.nps.gov/Meridian Hill Park
[Captions:]
On January 6, 1922, the bronze statue of Joan of Arc, sculpted by Paul Dubois, was dedicated in the center of the Great Terrace. This gift from the French people, celebrated both the history of the alliance between the United States and France and the suffrage of American women, who won the right to vote in 1920.
On December 1, 1921, a statue of Dante Alighieri, author of the epic poem, The Divine Comedy, was dedicated in the park's Italian hillside garden area on the 600th anniversary of the poet's birth. The statue was a gift of Carlo Barsotti, editor of an Italian American newspaper, in the name of all immigrants from Italy. The bronze figure is a replica of the original, unveiled in New York City that same year and scupted by Ettore Ximenes of Rome.
Jose Clara's marble figure, Serenity, was dedicated in the Grotto on March 12, 1925. Charles Deering, a graudate of the United States Naval Academy, donated the scupture to honor the career of his friend and classmate, Lieutenant Commander William Henry Schuetze. Schuetze is remembered for his part in the 1882 expedition to Russia to retrieve the bodies of arctic explorers from the ill-fated USS Jeannette, and later for his service aboard the USS Iowa in the Spanish-American War.
Carl Paul Jennewien designed the original Noyes Armillary Sphere. It stood in the park from 1932 until the late 1970s. In 2024 the National Park Service installed a replica armillary sphere. NPS used historic photographs and drawings for the design and oversaw the re-creation. Armillary spheres reflect ancient astronomical instruments first used in China around 200 BCE. They were later used in Europe to illustrate an Earth-centered universe.
Erected 2026
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Arts, Letters, Music • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical date for this entry is January 6, 1922.
Location. 38° 55.285′ N, 77° 2.179′ W. Marker is in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in Columbia Heights. It is on 16th Street Northwest north of Crescent Place Northwest, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2400 16th St NW, Washington DC 20009, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Northeast, in the Upper South, in the Mid-Atlantic, in the Tidewater, and in the Chesapeake Bay Region. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Envoy (within shouting distance of this marker); Serenity (within shouting distance of this marker); An American Meridian
Other markers no longer nearby. Washington Meridian (was a few steps from this marker but has been confirmed missing); a different marker also named Art for the People (was a few steps from this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); a different marker also named An American Meridian (was about 300 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Visionary and Park Champion (was about 400 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Creating the "City Beautiful" (was about 400 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Design Challenges (was about 400 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Park Designers (was about 400 feet away but has been replaced with
Additional keywords. landscape architecture
Credits. This page was last revised on October 26, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 26, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 6 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 26, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
