East Potomac Park in Southwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Cuban Friendship Urn
Photographed By J. J. Prats, May 25, 2008
1. Cuban Friendship Urn Marker Plaques
Smaller plaque on the urn
El recuerdo del “Maine” tendrá eterna duración durante los siglos los lazos de la amistad entre la tierra de Cuba y la tierra de los Estados Unidos de Norte América. —Gerardo Machado
Plaque on urn base
Esta copa fué esculpida de un fragmento de la columna de mármol del monumento a las víctimas del “Maine” ericido en la ciudad de La Habana, cuya columna fué derribada por el ciclón de 20 de Octubre de 1926.
English translation:
The memory of the “Maine” will last forever through the centuries, as will the bonds of friendship between the homeland of Cuba and the homeland of the United States of North America. —Gerardo Machado.
This urn was sculpted from a fragment of the marble column from the Monument to the Victims of the “Maine” erected in the city of Havana. The column was toppled by the October 20, 1926 hurricane.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, Spanish-American. In addition, it is included
this page online
Location. 38° 52.712′ N, 77° 2.295′ W. Marker is in Southwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in East Potomac Park. Marker is on Ohio Drive Southwest, ¼ mile west of Buckeye Drive Southwest, on the right when traveling west. It is at the western edge of the parking lot situated between the two spans of the 14th Street bridge. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Washington DC 20242, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. George Mason (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Forgotten Founder (about 600 feet away); River Bottom to Parkland (approx. ¼ mile away); Thomas Jefferson Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away); The Line of Duty (approx. ¼ mile away); Yoshino (approx. ¼ mile away); The Gift of Friendship (approx. 0.3 miles away); Air Mail (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Southwest Washington.
More about this marker. President Gerardo Machado of the Republic of Cuba gave the monument to President Calvin Coolidge
Photographed By Tom Fuchs, May 22, 2008
2. Cuban Friendship Urn
Urn is approx. 7 feet tall on a 3 foot base.
Also see . . .
1. The Monument to the USS Maine in Havana, Cuba. The Spanish-American War Centennial website entry:
"On October 20, 1926, a hurricane struck the island. The corinthian columns were toppled and broken, as were the eagle and lintel. In November of the same year, funds were appropriated to repair the monument."
(Submitted on May 23, 2008, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia.)
2. . . . seen a “forgotten” memorial to a friendship on the rocks. 2004 paragraph and photo in the Washington Post. “ The urn, misplaced for almost 50 years after it was moved to make way for the 14th Street bridge, was found in a National Park Service warehouse in 1996.” (Submitted on May 24, 2008.)
Additional commentary.
Photographed By Tom Fuchs, May 22, 2008
3. East Face of Monument
1. The Sculptor of this monument?
The sculptor's name is not readily available. But a good guess can be made. The original monument in Havana was designed by Felix Cabarrocas, a Cuban architect, artist and sculptor. As he was involved in the reconstruction of the monument to the Maine in Havana in 1927, from which the piece of marble used to make this urn was taken, its likely that he was involved in the making of the urn. Note To Editor only visible by Contributor and editor
— Submitted November 8, 2013, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana.
Additional keywords. Cuban American Friendship Urn, Cuban–American Friendship Urn, Maine Memorial
Photographed By Tom Fuchs, May 22, 2008
4. North Face of Monument
Photographed By Tom Fuchs, May 22, 2008
5. West Face of Monument
J. J. Prats Postcard Collection
6. U. S. S. “Maine” Monument, Havana, Cuba
“Built by the people of Cuba in grateful memory of the crew of the illfated U. S. Battleship ‘Maine,’ which was blown up in the harbor of Havana, Feb. 1898. This catastrophe was an important factor in causing the United States to assist Cuba in her war for independence.” Undated postcard No. 12506 published by Roberts & Co., Havana, Cuba. Made in U.S.A.
Photographed By Mike Stroud, July 16, 2011
7. Cuban Friendship Urn with Plaques
In 2007, the urn was placed on the National Register of Historic Places:
Reference Number 07001053
For many years the urn stood outside the Cuban Embassy on 16th Street, N.W., in Washington. After relations between the United States and Cuba deteriorated following Fidel Castro's rise to power in Cuba in 1959, it disappeared from public view, it was discovered in a National Park Service warehouse in 1992 and moved to its present site.
8. 1928 newspaper clipping showing the monument in Washington DC.
9. 1928 remarks by President Coolidge about the monument.
Dec. 4, 1928, Decatur Herald, Decatur, Illinois. Page 20.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 23, 2008, by Tom Fuchs of Greenbelt, Maryland. This page has been viewed 3,664 times since then and 51 times this year. It was the Marker of the Week February 15, 2015. Photos: 1. submitted on May 25, 2008, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on May 23, 2008, by Tom Fuchs of Greenbelt, Maryland. 6. submitted on November 12, 2011, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. 7. submitted on January 3, 2013, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. 8, 9. submitted on November 8, 2013, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana.
