Washington Square Arch, constructed of white Tuckahoe marble, was conceived by Stanford White who imitated a Roman Trumphal Arch, iconic monuments Roman Emperors built throughout the empire to celebrate a victory or event. Washington Square Arch stands 77 feet high. The piers stand apart and the arch opening is high. The iconography of the Arch centers on images of war and peace. On the frieze are 13 large stars and 42 small stars interspersed with capital "W"s. The spandrels contain figures of Victory. The inscription on the attic story reads: The north side of the eastern pier bears the sculpture George Washington as Commander-in-Chief, Accompanied by Fame and Valor by Hermon A. MacNeil in which the President is flanked by Fame and Valor. The western pier has George Washington as President, Accompanied by Wisdom and Justice by Alexander Stirling Calder with flanking Justice and Wisdom figures. In the latter sculpture, a hand holds a book bearing the Latin phraseExitus Acta Probat. These sculptures are commonly referred to as Washington at War and Washington at Peace, respectively. These figures and most of the rest of the carving on the arch was performed by the Piccirilli Brothers.
History
In 1889, a large plaster and wood memorial arch was erected over Fifth Avenue just north of Washington Square Park by local businessman and philanthropist William Rhinelander Stewart. Stewart lived at 17Washington Square North and his friends contributed $2,765 toward the work. The temporary arch was so popular that three years later the permanent stone arch, designed by architect Stanford White, was erected. During the excavations for the eastern pier, human remains, a coffin, and a gravestone dated 1803 were uncovered below ground level. The Arch was dedicated in 1895. In 1918, two statues of Washington were added to the north side. Formerly, the Washington Square Arch was extensively defaced with spray-paintedgraffiti. It was cleaned and restored in the 1980s. The arch has often been used as an unofficial symbol of New York University, as the buildings surrounding are owned by the institution.
