Statue
In the center of the square is a statue of David G. Farragut, a Union admiral in the American Civil War famous for rallying his fleet with the cry, "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!" He was the "First Admiral in the Navy." Its only inscription is "Farragut." The statue was sponsored by an act of Congress, authorizing $20,000 on April 16, 1872. It was sculpted by Vinnie (Ream) Hoxie and dedicated April 25, 1881 by President and Mrs. James A. Garfield.
The statue and park are maintained by the National Park Service and administered as part of its National Mall and Memorial Parks unit. A proposal to build an underground parking garage below it was rejected in 1961.
Read more about this topic: Farragut Square
Famous quotes containing the word statue:
“Where the statue stood
Of Newton with his prism and silent face,
The marble index of a mind for ever
Voyaging through strange seas of thought, alone.”
—William Wordsworth (1770–1850)
“The statue of Freedom has not been cast yet, the furnace is hot, we can all still burn our fingers.”
—Georg Büchner (1813–1837)
“The man who is ostentatious of his modesty is twin to the statue that wears a fig-leaf.”
—Mark Twain [Samuel Langhorne Clemens] (1835–1910)