Smith Memorial Arch is an American Civil War monument at South Concourse and Lansdowne Drive in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Built on the former grounds of the 1876 Centennial Exposition, it serves as a gateway to West Fairmount Park. The Memorial consists of two colossal columns supported by curving, neo-Baroque arches, and adorned with 13 individual portrait sculptures ; two eagles standing on globes; and architectural reliefs of 8 allegorical figures.
History
In 1891, Richard Smith, a wealthy Philadelphia electroplate and type founder, created a will that provided $500,000 for a memorial arch to be adorned with portraits of Pennsylvania's Civil War military and naval heroes. Smith deposited the model and designs for the memorial with the Fidelity Insurance Trust and Safe Deposit Company and stipulated that: Fidelity president John B. Gest handle his request, that the architectural designs and construction be handled by Philadelphia architect James H. Windrim, and that the selection and supervision of sculptors for the specified portraits should be handled by the Fairmount Park Art Association. The will went into effect upon the death of Smith's wife in 1895, but it was not until 1897 that the Fairmount ParkArt Association began to select the sculptors. The initial commissions were awarded on May 8, 1898, and it took until 1912 before the last sculpture was completed and installed on the arch. The estate of Richard and Sarah Smith also funded the creation of Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse, in East Fairmount Park.
The Memorial's frieze is carved with the names of 84 Pennsylvania veterans.
The Memorial's inscription reads:
THIS MONUMENTAL MEMORIAL PRESENTED BY RICHARD SMITH TYPE FOUNDER OF PHILADELPHIA - IN MEMORY OF PENNSYLVANIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE CIVIL WAR THEIR STRIFE WAS NOT FOR AGGRANDIZEMENT AND WHEN CONFLICT CEASED THE NORTH WITH THE SOUTH UNITED AGAIN TO ENJOY THE COMMON HERITAGE LEFT BY THE FATHERS OF OUR COUNTRY RESOLVING THAT THEREAFTER ALL OUR PEOPLE SHOULD DWELL TOGETHER IN UNITY.
