George Washington—Robert Morris—Haym
Salomon Monument, 1941
Lorado Taft and Leonard
Crunelle
North Wabash Avenue and East Upper Wacker Drive
The first statue ever to
depict George Washington with other individuals, the concept for this bronze
monument originated with Barnet Hodes, a lawyer of Polish-Jewish heritage and
member of the Patriotic Foundation of Chicago, the not-for-profit organization
that commissioned the work. Hodes became interested in the career of Haym
Salomon, a broker working with foreign currencies during the 18th
century and active supporter of the Revolutionary effort, sometimes
underwriting some of the costs himself.
Also of Polish-Jewish heritage, Salomon and his contributions to the
development of the United States were often overlooked in history books and
Hodes wanted to create a monument that commemorated the spirit of cooperation
between civilians and soldiers during the Revolutionary War as well as the
cultural pluralism of the country.
The Patriotic Foundation approached Lorado Taft about
creating a model for visual presentations, which would help with fundraising
efforts as they intended to pay the $50,000 cost through donations from
citizens of Chicago. Taft suffered a stroke in his Midway Studios (on the
University of Chicago campus) while finishing the model and he died on October
30, 1936. During his many years as a teacher and lecturer, Taft had worked with
a number of students and associates in the Midway Studios and one of them,
Leonard Crunelle, was called upon to complete the monument after Taft’s death.
Standing more than 11 feet tall, Washington is shown
wearing his Commander-in-Chief campaign clothes with the Continental
three-cornered hat. To his right is Robert Morris, businessman and eventual
Superintendent of Finance for the Continental government (1781-84), making him,
essentially, the country’s first Secretary of the Treasury. Together with
Salomon, both of whom were residents of Philadelphia, Morris helped bring about
the creation of the Bank of North America in that city. The three figures exude
determination and a sense of cooperation, standing together with clasped hands.
In addition to acknowledging the contributions of
businessmen and individuals with different backgrounds to the Revolutionary
effort, the monument stood as a refutation of Nazi ideology. Dedicated on
December 15, 1941 (Bill of Rights Day), the work was described as a “great
triumvirate of patriots” by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. First Lady
Eleanor Roosevelt stated that it symbolized “a fundamental fact of American
tolerance.” The massive base features a bronze, bas-relief plaque that depicts
an assemblage of people of various professions, ethnicities and backgrounds,
gathered beneath a seated Goddess of Liberty with outstretched arms. The work is sometimes called the “Heald
Monument,” due to its former location in Heald Square, a spot named in honor of
the Commander of Old Fort Dearborn, Nathan Heald.
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