What is an exedra?

Last week was one rainy week in NYC.

Seriously- it rained everyday, which was pretty miserable!

But yesterday things started to dry up, and the foliage in Central Park was looking extra lush!

As I was walking along the park, I stopped to take some photos of the Richard Morris Hunt Memorial- I thought it just looked too pretty!

In case that name isn't familiar to you, Richard Morris Hunt was an American architect of great prominence whose defining signature emulated the French Beaux-Arts style.

One of his most famous designs here in NYC is the facade of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

This monument to Hunt, known as an exedra (a semicircular portico with a curved bench) features a bust of Hunt at the center.

The sculptures on the monument were all sculpted by Daniel Chester French, who was the same artist who sculpted Abraham Lincoln for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.

Richard Morris Hunt was very involved in several organizations throughout NYC.

And thought he died in 1895, many of the organizations that he helped are still in existence (and the names of these organizations are etched into the panels surrounding the exedra).

At either end of the marble colonnade are two allegorical statues of Architecture and Painting standing guard.

If you'd like to learn more, here are some links:

Richard Morris Hunt Memorial

Richard Morris Hunt on Wikipedia

Daniel Chester French on Wikipedia 

Thanks for joining me on this little visit to the Richard Morris Hunt memorial!

I hope you had a nice weekend- thanks for stopping by!!

Paris anyone?

No, I haven't been to France recently.... just Washington Square Park!
This park is pretty famous, and I can still remember the first time I saw it in When Harry Met Sally.
I thought it was lovely then, and nothing has changed! While the whole park is pretty beautiful, the arch is my favorite part.
As wikipedia explains:

In 1889, to celebrate the centennial of George Washington's inauguration as president of the United States, a large plaster and wood Memorial Arch was erected. The temporary plaster and wood arch was so popular that in 1892 a permanent marble arch, designed by the New York architect Stanford White, was erected. White modeled the arch after the 1806 Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

Isn't it beautiful? I love checking out all the intricate details.
As a further testament to the first US president, 2 statues of George Washington were 1918. The statues are very different, but they lend a lot of meaning to the inscription on the arch:

Let us raise a standard to which the wise and the honest can repair. The event is in the hand of God. - George Washington

I must admit, it never ceases to amaze me how many beautiful things can be found throughout NYC! If you ever have the time, I highly recommend a quick trip to Washington Square Park (the bottom of 5th Avenue).
Thanks for visiting- I hope you have a great day!