page_title: Peter Muhlenberg Memorial
section_title: Design and location
hierarchical_section_title: Peter Muhlenberg Memorial / Design and location
caption_attribution_description: English: A close look at the bust of Peter Muhlenberg at the Peter Muhlenberg Memorial in Washington
context_page_description: The Peter Muhlenberg Memorial is a public monument in Washington, D.C. It honors John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg, a Lutheran minister, Continental Army general, Federalist Era American politician, and member of the prominent Muhlenberg family. The memorial is located in a one-acre park bounded by Connecticut Avenue, Ellicott Street, and 36th Street NW on the eastern edge of Washington's Wakefield neighborhood. Designed by architect John Harbeson, it features at its center a bronze bust of Muhlenberg, sculpted by his descendant, Caroline M. Hufford. Completed in 1980, 52 years after its construction was authorized by Congress, attendees at the dedication ceremony included West German ambassador Peter Hermes.
  The bronze sculpture of Muhlenberg is displayed on a limestone pedestal and surrounded on three sides by a concrete exedra. The memorial is owned and maintained by the National Park Service, a federal agency of the Interior Department.
context_section_description: The memorial sits in the center of Muhlenberg Park in the northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., alongside a segment of Wakefield's eastern border with Forest Hills. The one-acre pocket park is located on the plot of land bounded by Connecticut Avenue, Ellicott Street, and 36th Street NW. It is directly adjacent to St. Paul's Lutheran Church and Engine Company 31, which are to the west and northwest, respectively. Also close by are Politics and Prose and Comet Ping Pong, one block up Connecticut Avenue.
  The bronze bust of Muhlenberg sits atop a limestone base.  The approximately 4 feet (1.2 m) high by 4 feet (1.2 m) wide sculpture depicts Muhlenberg in civilian dress, with his hands resting on an open Bible before him. The base, which stands approximately 8 feet 2 inches (2.49 m) tall, resembles a pulpit and features, on three sides, carvings representing Muhlenberg's contributions to his country as a Clergyman, Soldier, and Statesman. The Clergyman side features an image of a Latin cross and the years, "1768–1776" inscribed below it. The Soldier side features an image of a saber and the years, "1774–1783." The Statesman side features an image of a fasces and the years, "1787–1807." The inscription at the front of the base reads: "JOHN PETER GABRIEL MUHLENBERG, 1746–1807; Serving HIS CHURCH, HIS COUNTRY, HIS STATE." A rectangular concrete exedra with three plaques, each containing biographical information about Muhlenberg, flanks the rear and sides of the memorial.
  The memorial was originally intended to feature two fountains along with a pond or reflecting pool, both to be added during a second phase of construction. These plans were never realized.
caption: Detail of the bust by Hufford
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