{"nrhp_refnum":"03001421","name":"Virginia Washington Monument","other_names":["Washington Monument scupture group","George Washington Equestrian Statue VDHR#127-0189"],"category":"object","location":{"address":"Capitol Square","address_restricted":false,"city":"Richmond (Independent City)","county":"Richmond (city and county)","state":"VA","lat":37.53928353500004,"lon":-77.43417781199997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2004-01-15","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Art","Politics/Government"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A bronze and granite equestrian statue group of George Washington with surrounding Virginia patriot figures and allegorical figures, located in Capitol Square, Richmond, Virginia. Designed by sculptor Thomas Crawford, it was unveiled in 1858 and completed in 1869.","why_significant":"The nomination argues national significance under Criterion C as a work of art. It was the first of Richmond's outdoor monuments and the second equestrian statue of Washington in the United States, and it helped generate a national wave of representational memorial sculpture. Its imagery was later adopted for the Confederate Great Seal.","narrative":"Rising in Capitol Square in Richmond, this monument combines a bronze equestrian figure of George Washington with a three-tiered granite pedestal. Washington sits on a rearing horse at the top, and the 18,000-pound statue touches its base at only two hooves. Below him stand six Virginia Revolutionary figures: Jefferson, Patrick Henry, John Marshall, Thomas Nelson, George Mason and Andrew Lewis. In front of each is a draped female allegorical figure bearing an inscription such as Justice or Independence, flanked by shields naming Revolutionary War battles. Sculptor Thomas Crawford won a 1849-50 competition for the commission but died in 1857. The statue was unveiled in 1858, and Randolph Rogers finished the remaining figures by 1869. The bronzes were cast abroad because no American foundry could handle the large equestrian piece. It was listed for its artistic merit, its place as the second equestrian statue of Washington in the country, and its influence on later memorial sculpture.","period_of_significance":"1850-1953","architect_builder":"Thomas Crawford; Randolph Rogers","architectural_style":"Mid-19th Century, Classical Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":null,"vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:03.333481-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/21/6829/41682921/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/03001421.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/03001421/013297fb47-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/03001421/013297fb47-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"Morgan Riley","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Virginia_Washington_Monument_2011.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Morgan Riley</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Virginia_Washington_Monument_2011.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"71000982","name":"James River and Kanawha Canal Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/virginia/james-river-and-kanawha-canal-historic-district-71000982/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41682921","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Washington_Monument","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7934655"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/richmond/virginia-washington-monument-03001421/"}