{"nrhp_refnum":"00001062","name":"Washington Irving Memorial","other_names":[],"category":"object","location":{"address":"Broadway and Sunnyside Ln.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Irvington","county":"Westchester County","state":"NY","lat":41.048029943000074,"lon":-73.86147969099994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2000-09-08","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Art"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A granite and bronze memorial to author Washington Irving at Broadway and Sunnyside Lane in Irvington, Westchester County, New York, dedicated June 27, 1927. It sits on a small triangular site at the northern gateway of the village.","why_significant":"The memorial is argued to be a distinctive commemorative object raised by local citizens to honor Irving's achievements and his tie to the village. It is also a distinguished work by master sculptor Daniel Chester French, with architectural elements designed by Charles A. Platt, and it reflects the aesthetics of its period.","narrative":"Washington Irving is honored in Irvington by a memorial of polished pink Vermont granite and bronze, placed at Broadway and Sunnyside Lane, the road leading toward his home, Sunnyside. A central slab carries a heroic-scale bronze bust of Irving by Daniel Chester French, flanked by bas-relief figures of Rip Van Winkle and Boabdil, the last king of Granada. Curved wing walls and iron fencing, designed by architect Charles A. Platt, frame the platform, and Sunnyside Creek runs through a culvert beneath the monument. Resident Jennie Prince Black began the campaign in 1909 and spent eighteen years raising about $50,000 from estate owners, schoolchildren and supporters worldwide. The memorial was dedicated on June 27, 1927. Planned benches, steps and a surrounding park were never built because of cost. The platform paving was replaced with concrete in 1985, and the bronze and granite were restored in 1998. It is valued as a work of a master sculptor and as a local tribute to America's first world-recognized author.","period_of_significance":"1925-27","architect_builder":"Daniel Chester French, sculptor; Charles A. Platt, architect","architectural_style":"Late 19th and Early 20th Century Revivals, Neo-Classical Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"The bronze and granite were professionally restored in 1998 after a period of neglect; the platform paving was replaced with concrete in 1985.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:50.066702-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/00001062.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00001062/1241066f65-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00001062/1241066f65-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Beyond My Ken","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Washington_Irving_Memorial_Irvington.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Beyond My Ken</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Washington_Irving_Memorial_Irvington.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75323291","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Irving_Memorial","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7971997"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/westchester-county/washington-irving-memorial-00001062/"}