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George H. Thomas Statue

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1879, John Quincy Adams Ward and John L. Smithmeyer. Thomas Circle, Massachusetts Ave. and 14th St. NW
  • (Detroit Publishing Photograph Collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division)

The architect of the multitiered base for Ward's bronze statue of Civil War General Thomas was John L. Smithmeyer, whose major architectural work was the Library of Congress (see CH12, p. 142) done in partnership with Paul Pelz. While its ovoid form was well adapted to the shape of an equestrian sculptural group, the building up of a series of pedestals from four plain steps to intermediate walls broken by four coffered column bases to an elaborate super-structure buttressed by large carved console brackets was unusual and expensive when executed in granite.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Pamela Scott and Antoinette J. Lee
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Data

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Citation

Pamela Scott and Antoinette J. Lee, "George H. Thomas Statue", [Washington, District of Columbia], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/DC-01-NE18.

Print Source

Buildings of the District of Columbia, Pamela Scott and Antoinette J. Lee. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993, 296-296.

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