Smith Memorial Arch

Smith Memorial Arch was dedicated to Union veterans from Pennsylvanians who fought and lost their lives in the American Civil War. The statue is located at the site of the 1876 Centennial Explosion and serves at the entrance to the West Fairmount Park. Richard Smith funded the building of the memorial in 1891; however, the arch was not completed until 1912.

The Smith Memorial Arch is unique in its design with two large columnns that suspend into an arch, but also contains thirteen separate sculptures by twelve different artists. The memorial offers twelve different busts of eight different males including: Major General John F. Hartranft, Major General Samuel W. Crawford, General James Addams Beaver, Admiral David Dixon Porter, Admiral John A. B. Dahlgren, Governor Andrew Gregg Curtin, James H. Windrim, and John B. Gest.

 Apart from the twelve busts, the memorial also displays three statues of Major General George Gordon Meade, Major General John Fulton Reynolds, and Richard Smith, the donor of the memorial. The memorial also showcases two equestrian statues of Major General George B. McClellan and Major General Winfield Scott Hancock, as well as two eagle sculptures, and 84 carved names of various Pennsylvania veterans. 

The Smith Memorial: James H. Windrim, Esq.. Smithsonian Institution Research Information System. Accessed January 21, 2018. http://siris-artinventories.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?uri=full=3100001~!329216!0#focus.