USS Maine National Monument
The monument in 2012
Map
Location in New York City
Year1912 (1912)
Type
  • Fountain
  • sculpture
LocationNew York City, New York, United States
Coordinates40°46′06″N 73°58′52″W / 40.768242°N 73.981012°W / 40.768242; -73.981012
The group of three sculpted figures

The USS Maine National Monument is an outdoor monument located at the Merchants' Gate entrance to Central Park, at Columbus Circle, in Manhattan, New York City. It was cast on September 1, 1912 and dedicated on May 30, 1913 to the men killed aboard USS Maine (ACR-1) when the ship exploded in Havana harbor.[1]

In 1913, a USS Maine Monument designed by Harold Van Buren Magonigle was completed and dedicated in New York City. The monument consists of a pylon with a fountain at its base and sculptures by Attilio Piccirilli surrounding it.[2] A sculpture group of gilded bronze figures atop the pylon represent Columbia Triumphant, her seashell chariot being drawn by three hippocampi, modeled by Audrey Munson. The bronze for this group reportedly came from metal recovered from the guns of the Maine. On the park side of the monument is fixed a memorial plaque that was cast in metal salvaged from the ship.[1] It is not known how many of these plaques by sculptor Charles Keck were produced, but they can be found in many locations across the United States.[3] They were cast by the Jno Williams Bronze Foundry and widely publicized.[4]

On April 22, 2021, the memorial was vandalized during a protest in Columbus Circle. The memorial was sprayed with graffiti including "ACAB" (meaning all cops are bastards) and "Stonewall was a Riot" (in reference to the Stonewall Riots that occurred in Greenwich Village on June 28, 1969).[5][6]

References

  1. ^ a b "U.S.S. Maine National Monument". New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  2. ^ "Monument to Maine Heroes Ready for Unveiling". The New York Times. May 25, 1913. Retrieved October 2, 2011. Distinguished Guests and Imposing Ceremonies at the Dedication on Memorial Day—Fleet of Seventeen Ships and 5,000 Bluejackets Will Participate.
  3. ^ McSherry, Patrick (April 23, 1951). "Maine Parts". Spanamwar.com. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  4. ^ "Memorial Plaques". The Independent. July 14, 1914. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
  5. ^ "Columbus Circle protest: 6 arrested by NYPD after USS Maine monument vandalized". ABC7 New York. April 23, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  6. ^ Sundstrom, Mark (April 23, 2021). "Protesters clash with cops; vandalize Columbus Circle statue: NYPD". PIX11. Retrieved April 23, 2021.

External links

Central Park
Public art and memorials in Manhattan
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