The Lafayette Monument, sculpted by Andrew O'Connor Jr., was dedicated in the shadow of the Washington Monument on South Washington Place in Mount Vernon on September 6, 1924.
The equestrian statue of Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette, was the last major piece of sculpture added to the Washington parks and not without its detractors. When , landscape architect, Thomas Hastings, of Carrère and Hastings, who was hired to relandscape Mt. Vernon Place, decided to install the monument in 1919, many objected because such a large sculpture and base would block the view of the Washington Monument from the south. Hastings prevailed and five years later, on the anniversary of Lafayette's birthday, O'Connor's 16-foot tall bronze monument was dedicated atop a 20-foot tall cockeysville marble base.
Mount Vernon Place Historic District National Register #71001037 (1971)
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