Pedimental sculptures are sculptures within the frame of a pediment on the exterior of a building, some examples of which can be found in the United States. Pedimental sculpture pose special challenges to sculptors: the triangular composition limits the choices for figures or ornament at the ends, and the sculpture must be designed to be viewed both from below and from a distance.
Historian Walter Copland Perry wrote that it was proof of the power of Greek art that the classical sculptors not only overcame the rigid restrictions of the pediment's shape, but turned them to their advantage.[1] Compositionally, the restrictions imposed by both the physical triangular shape of a pediment, and the traditional themes that are usually employed for the subject matter, are, according to Professor Gardner of Oxford University, “as exactly regulated as that of a sonnet or a Spenserian stanza: the artist has liberty only in certain directions and must not violate the laws of rhythm.”[2]
In all examples, classical and modern, the central area below the apex is inevitably the tallest, most spacious, the natural focus, and will contain the main figures and the focus of action. Secondary figures decrease in size and importance on both sides, as they approach the far angles at the base. The well-known classical examples all observe "unity of action", although the Greek historian Pausanias describes a sculpture by Praxiteles in which Hercules appears several times in different sizes.
As with the ancient Greeks, and the Roman architects and sculptors who followed them, American artists had two different structural approaches creating pedimental sculpture. They are either freestanding statues that stand on the bed (the ledge or cornice that creates the bottom of the pediment), or they can be relief sculpture, attached to the back wall of the pediment.[3] [4] As an additional physical restriction in the pediment format, a deeper recess will throw the triangular field into deeper shadow, which means the figures should be executed in deeper relief or fully in the round.
Pedimental sculptures in the United States were rare prior to the 1880s, most surviving examples in cities along the east coast. The earliest seems to be Whitehall (1765), outside Annapolis, Maryland, attributed to English architect Joseph Horatio Anderson and English-born carver William Buckland, typical of early dependence on European talent.[5]
Greek Revival architecture became dominant throughout the first half of the 19th century, but almost always with chaste, blank pediments. It was only post-Civil War, with the advent of the American Renaissance and the City Beautiful movement - especially the architectural vision of "The White City" presented at Chicago's World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 - that the use of sculpture in pediments increased dramatically.
The advent of the Great Depression largely brought the use of pediment sculpture to a halt, with the major exception of government buildings of the Federal Triangle in Washington, D.C. completed in the mid-1930s. One 21st-century example is the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville, Tennessee, with a pedimental sculpture Orpheus and Eurydice by sculptor Raymond Kaskey completed in 2006.[6]
| Building | Location | Image | Sculpture | Sculptor | Architect | Installed | Medium | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Jefferson Clinton Federal Building (formerly Ariel Rios Federal Building and Post Office Department Building) | 12th Street & Pennsylvania Avenue 38.8939°N -77.0289°W | 12th Street: The Spirit of Progress and Civilization[7] | Adolph Alexander Weinman John Donnelly & Company (carver) | Delano & Aldrich | 1935 | limestone | Weinman's concave sculptured pediment may be unique in the United States. | ||
| (at upper right) | Pennsylvania Avenue: The Bond of Postal Union[8] | Walker Hancock Adolph Alexander Weinman | 1935 | limestone | Based on a sketch model by Weinman[9] | ||||
| (at upper right) | 13th Street: Africa and Europe[10] | George Holburn Snowden Adolph Alexander Weinman John Donnelly & Company (carver) | 1934 | limestone | |||||
| 13th Street: America and Asia[11] | Joseph E. Reiner Adolph Alexander Weinman John Donnelly & Company (carver) | 1934 | limestone | ||||||
| Daughters of the American Revolution Constitution Hall | 18th Street, between C & D Streets 38.8931°N -77.0417°W | Eagle Pediment[12] | Ulysses Ricci | John Russell Pope | 1929 | Alabama limestone | |||
| Dirksen Senate Office Building | Constitution Avenue & 1st Street 38.8931°N -77.0053°W | Eagle Pediment[13] | Ulysses Ricci Rochette & Parzini (carvers) | Eggers Group Architects | 1956 | marble | |||
| Historical Society of Washington, D.C. (formerly the central District of Columbia Public Library) | Eighth & K Streets Northwest | two identical pediments, each with a head of Minerva surrounded by curled flora | Philip Martiny | Ross & Ackerman[14] | 1903 | white Vermont marble | |||
| Eisenhower Executive Office Building (formerly Old Executive Office Building and State, War, and Navy Building) | 1700 Pennsylvania Avenue 38.8976°N -77.0391°W | North pediment: War[15] | designed by Richard von Ezdorf | Alfred B. Mullett | 1884 | painted iron | |||
| Herbert C. Hoover Building United States Department of Commerce | 1401 Constitution Avenue NW 38.8943°N -77.0328°W | Fisheries Pediment[16] | Joseph Kiselewski James Earle Fraser John Donnelly & Company (carver) | Louis Ayres | 1934 | limestone | The building's 4 sculptured pediments are on the 15th Street facade, facing The Ellipse. | ||
| Mining Pediment[17] | Frederick Roth James Earle Fraser John Donnelly & Company (carver) | 1934 | limestone | ||||||
| Foreign and Domestic Commerce Pediment[18] | Ulysses Ricci James Earle Fraser John Donnelly & Company (carver) | 1934 | limestone | ||||||
| Aeronautics Pediment[19] | Haig Patigian James Earle Fraser John Donnelly & Company (carver) | 1934 | limestone | ||||||
| Jefferson Memorial | Tidal Basin 38.8814°N -77.0369°W | Drafting the Declaration of Independence[20] | Adolph Alexander Weinman | John Russell Pope | 1943 | marble | |||
| Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building[21] | 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW | 38.8932°N -77.025°W | Eastern pediment: Ars Aequi (The Rights of Man) | C. Paul Jennewein Henry Kreis John Donnelly & Company (carver) | Milton Bennett Medary Zantzinger, Borie & Medary | 1935 | limestone | The two sculptured pediments are on the Pennsylvania Avenue facade. The building's other pediments are blank. | |
| Western pediment: Ars Boni (The Good of the State) | C. Paul Jennewein Henry Kreis John Donnelly & Company (carver) | 1935 | limestone | ||||||
| Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building | Capitol Hill 38.8887°N -77.0046°W | America Fostering the Arts and Industries and Atlantes[22] | William Boyd | Edward Pearce Casey Smithmeyer & Pelz | 1897 | granite | The two rounded pediments flank the central pavilion of the Jefferson Building's west front. | ||
| Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium / United States Department of Labor Building | 1301 Constitution Avenue NW 38.8926°N -77.0297°W | Columbia Pediment[23] | Edgar Walter Edward Ardolino (carver) | Arthur Brown, Jr. | 1935 | limestone | The Mellon Auditorium is middle-ground center; the U.S. Customs Building is left; the U.S. Interstate Commerce Commission is right: | ||
| National Academy of Sciences Building | 2101 Constitution Avenue NW 38.893°N -77.0477°W | Constitution Avenue entrance | Lee Lawrie | Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue | 1924 | ||||
| National Archives Building[24] | 700 Pennsylvania Avenue 38.8928°N -77.0231°W | North pediment: The Recorder of the Archives[25] | James Earle Fraser Edward H. Ratti (carver) | John Russell Pope | 1935 | Limestone | |||
| South pediment: Destiny[26] | Adolph Alexander Weinman Edward Ardolino[27] (carver) | 1935 | Indiana limestone Milford pink granite | ||||||
| Notre Dame Chapel | Trinity Washington University, 125 Michigan Avenue, NE | Madonna and Child Enthroned Attended by Angels | D. H. McBride McBride Studios | Maginnis & Walsh | 1924 | white Carrara marble | |||
| Rayburn House Office Building | Independence Avenue, between South Capitol & 1st Streets | Eagle Pediment[28] [29] | Carl Paul Jennewein | Harbeson, Hough, Livingston & Larson | 1964 | Vermont marble | |||
| Renwick Gallery | 1661 Pennsylvania Avenue 38.8989°N -77.0394°W | Relief portrait bust of William Wilson Corcoran[30] | Moses Jacob Ezekiel | James Renwick Jr. | 1878 | bronze | Original home of the Corcoran Gallery of Art: | ||
| Riggs National Bank | 1503-05 Pennsylvania Avenue 38.8988°N -77.0341°W | Eagle pediment | York and Sawyer | 1902 | In a 1915 photograph: | ||||
| United States Capitol | Capitol Hill 38.8898°N -77.0091°W | Central portico, east front: The Genius of America[31] [32] | Luigi Persico | Thomas Ustick Walter | 1828 | sandstone (1828) marble (1960) | By 1959 the original sandstone sculpture group was badly deteriorated. Under the supervision of Paul Manship, sculptor Carl Schmitz repaired the statues, G. Giannetti made a plaster model from them, and Bruno Mankowski carved new statues. These were unveiled in 1960. | ||
| Senate wing, east front: The Progress of Civilization[33] [34] | Thomas Crawford Carvers: T. Gagliardi, Vinchenzo Casoni, G. Butti, Louis Galli, G. Caprero, and Domenico Giampaoli | 1863 | marble | ||||||
| House of Representatives wing, east front: Apotheosis of Democracy[35] | Paul Wayland Bartlett Piccirilli Brothers (carvers) | 1916 | marble | ||||||
| United States Customs Building / United States Department of Labor | 14th Street & Constitution Avenue NW 38.8925°N -77.0309°W | Eastern pediment: Labor and Industry[36] | Albert Stewart John Donnelly & Company (carver) | Arthur Brown, Jr. | 1935 | limestone | |||
| Western pediment: Abundance and Industry[37] | Sherry Fry John Donnelly & Company (carver) | 1936 | limestone | ||||||
| United States Department of Agriculture Building | Jefferson Drive between 12th & 14th Streets 38.888°N -77.03°W | Fruit[38] | Adolph Alexander Weinman | Rankin, Kellogg & Crane | 1908 | Vermont marble | The West and East Buildings (left & right) were completed in 1908. The Administration Building (center), connecting them, was completed in 1930. | ||
| Forestry[39] | Adolph Alexander Weinman | 1908 | Vermont marble | ||||||
| Cereals[40] | Adolph Alexander Weinman | 1908 | Vermont marble | West Building: | |||||
| Flowers[41] | Adolph Alexander Weinman | 1908 | Vermont marble | ||||||
| United States Interstate Commerce Commission Building (now United States Environmental Protection Agency Building) | 1201 Constitution Avenue 38.8939°N -77.0289°W | Eastern pediment: Interstate Transportation[42] | Edward McCartan John Donnelly & Company (carver) | Arthur Brown, Jr. | 1935 | Indiana limestone | |||
| Western pediment: Commerce and Communications[43] | Wheeler Williams John Donnelly & Company (carver) | 1935 | Indiana limestone | ||||||
| United States Supreme Court Building | Capitol Hill 38.8905°N -77.0045°W | West pediment: Equal Justice Under Law[44] [45] (Liberty Enthroned) | Robert Ingersoll Aitken | Cass Gilbert | 1935 | Vermont marble | |||
| East pediment: Justice, the Guardian of Liberty[46] [47] | Hermon Atkins MacNeil | 1935 | Vermont marble | ||||||
| Building | Location | Image | Sculpture | Sculptor | Architect | Installed | Medium | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inyo County Courthouse | Independence 36.8036°N -118.1989°W | William H. Weeks | 1921-22 | "Reposed women" hold a shield that is presumed to represent Justice.[49] | ||||
| California State Capitol | Sacramento | West portico: California[50] | Pietro Mezzara | M. Frank Butler Reuben Clark Gordon Cummings | 1873 | cast stone | ||
| California State Library | 10th Street & Capitol Mall, Sacramento | Into the Highlands of the Mind Let Me Go[51] | Edward Field Sanford, Jr. | Weeks and Day | 1928 | painted terra cotta | ||
| California State Office Building (now Jesse M. Unruh State Office Building) | 915 Capitol Mall, Sacramento | Bring Me Men to Match My Mountains[52] | Edward Field Sanford, Jr. | Weeks and Day | 1928 | painted terra cotta | ||
| Sacramento City Hall | 915 I Street, Sacramento | Rounded pediments on end pavilions | Rudolph A. Herold | 1909 | terra cotta | |||
| California State Chamber of Commerce Building San Francisco Mining Exchange | 350 Bush Street, San Francisco | Greek Pediment[53] | Jo Mora | Miller & Pflueger | 1921 | terra cotta | ||
| Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Building[54] (now Ritz Carlton San Francisco) | Nob Hill, 600 Stockton Street, San Francisco | An Allegorical Group[55] | Haig Patigian Jo Mora | Miller & Pflueger | 1920 | glazed terra cotta | Napoleon LeBrun & Sons designed the original building, 1909. The pediment was added as part of Miller & Pflueger's 1919-20 expansion.[56] | |
| San Francisco City Hall | 400 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco | Van Ness Avenue pediment[57] | Henri Crenier | Bakewell & Brown | 1914 | granite | ||
| Polk Street pediment | ||||||||
| San Francisco Savings Union Bank (now Emporio Armani) | 1 Grant Avenue, San Francisco | Liberty[58] | Haig Patigian | Bliss & Faville | 1911 | granite | Patigian's bas relief head of Liberty was based on the 1907 $20 gold coin. | |
| Hearst Castle San Simeon | San Simeon | Neptune Pool Roman Temple: Neptune and Neraids[59] | pediment is a collection of unrelated Roman & Greek works.[60] | Julia Morgan | 1936 | white marble | The Roman Temple was assembled from ancient architectural fragments and modern reproductions. | |
| Building | Location | Image | Sculpture | Sculptor | Architect | Installed | Medium | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado State Capitol | 200 East Colfax Avenue, Denver | West pediment: | Elijah E. Myers | 1894 | ||||
| Pueblo County Courthouse | 10th & Main Streets, Pueblo | Eagle and wreath | Albert Randolph Ross | 1912 | white sandstone | |||
| Building | Location | Image | Sculpture | Sculptor | Architect | Installed | Medium | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Haven County Courthouse[61] | 121 Elm Street, New Haven | The pediment figures are Justice, Victory, Precedence, Accuracy, Common Law, Statutory Law, Progress and Commerce.[62] | John Massey Rhind | Allen & Williams | 1917 | marble | ||
| Basilica of the Immaculate Conception | 74 West Main Street, Waterbury | Virgin Mary flanked by angels | Maginnis & Walsh | 1928 | ||||
| Building | Location | Image | Sculpture | Sculptor | Architect | Installed | Medium | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia State Capitol | Capitol Square, Atlanta | West pediment: Seal of Georgia, flanked by Commerce, Industry, Justice, and Prosperity[63] | George Crouch[64] | Edbrooke & Burnham | 1889 | Oolitic limestone | The building's other pediments are blank. | |
| Chatham Academy | Bull Street & East Oglethorpe Avenue, Savannah | pediment on western facade: a scene of several young women studying, with a background of the Coliseum and the Parthenon | unknown | Henry Urban | 1908 | stone | ||
| Building | Location | Image | Sculpture | Sculptor | Architect | Installed | Medium | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Civic Opera Building | 20 North Wacker Drive, Chicago | North entrance | Pediments over north and south entrances | Henry Hering | Graham, Anderson, Probst & White | 1929 | Home of the Lyric Opera of Chicago | |
| Kankakee County Courthouse | 450 East Court Street, Kankakee 41.1192°N -87.8603°W | Zachary Taylor Davis | 1912 | Similar pediments above "KANKAKEE COUNTY COURTHOUSE" on north and south sides of courthouse include an escutcheon (coat of arms) representing the county.[66] | ||||
| Building | Location | Image | Sculpture | Sculptor | Architect | Installed | Medium | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allen County Courthouse | 715 South Calhoun Street, Fort Wayne 41.0797°N -85.1392°W | Spirit of the Law | Calhoun Street pediment: Spirit of Civilization Main Street pediment: Spirit of Government Berry Street pediment: Spirit of the Law Court Street pediment: Spirit of the Arts | Barth & Staak? | Brentwood S. Tolan | 1902 | Bedford limestone | |
| Circle Theater[67] | 45 Monument Circle, Indianapolis | Alexander Sangernebo | Rubush & Hunter | 1916 | terra cotta | |||
| Indiana State House | 200 West Washington Street, Indianapolis | East pediment: | Edwin May Adolph Scherrer | 1888 | ||||
| Tippecanoe County Courthouse | Public Square, Lafayette | North and south pediments: William Henry Harrison - Marquis de Lafayette - Tecumseh[68] | J. L. Mott Iron Works | Elias Max and/or James F. Alexander | 1884 | painted zinc | Identical sculpture groups on the north and south pediments, and on the east and west pediments. | |
| East and west pediments: Justice - Industry - Agriculture | ||||||||
| Boone County Courthouse | Courthouse Square, Lebanon | North & south pediments[69] | Joseph T. Hutton | 1911 | limestone | The building has identical sculptured pediments on the north and south facades. | ||
| Muncie Public Library | 301 East Jackson Street, Muncie | Marshall S. Mahurin | 1903 | Indiana limestone | ||||
| Vigo County Courthouse | 33 So. 3rd St., Terre Haute, Indiana 39.4658°N -87.4144°W | Samuel Hannaford | 1888 | |||||
| Building | Location | Image | Sculpture | Sculptor | Architect | Installed | Medium | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa State Capitol | Des Moines | East facade | East and west pediments are identical, with five robed, female, allegorical figures, the central one holding a torch | John C. Cochrane Alfred H. Piquenard | 1886 | sandstone | West facade: | |
| Dubuque County Courthouse | 720 Central Avenue, Dubuque | West facade: Eagle pediment | Fridolin Heer & Son | 1891 | Painted zinc sculptures adorn the roof: | |||
| Macbride Hall | University of Iowa, 17 North Clinton Street, Iowa City | A buffalo stands flanked by two elk | Sinclair Shearer[70] | Proudfoot & Bird | 1908 | |||
| Greene County Courthouse | 114 North Chestnut Street, Jefferson | male and female figures flank a clock | Proudfoot, Bird & Rawson | 1918 | ||||
| First Newton National Bank | 100 N 2nd Avenue West, Newton | a central figure of agricultural plenty is surrounded by four other figures and farm scenes in low relief[71] | E. Jackson Case Company of Chicago[72] | 1920 | ||||
| Building | Location | Image | Sculpture | Sculptor | Architect | Installed | Medium | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenton County Library | 1028 Scott Street, Covington | pediment with four figures surrounding an angel | J.C. Meyerberg[73] | Boll & Taylor[74] | 1904 | sandstone | Built as a Carnegie library and auditorium The building is now The Carnegie, a community arts center.http://www.thecarnegie.com/about.php | |
| Mother of God Roman Catholic Church | 119 West Sixth Street, Covington | The Annunciation | unknown | architect James Keys Wilson of Walter & Stuart[75] | 1871 | unknown | ||
| Kentucky State Capitol | Frankfort | North pediment[76] | Charles Henry Niehaus Peter A. Rossack (carver) | Frank Mills Andrews | 1906 | Oolitic limestone | The building's east, west and south pediments are blank. | |
| Louisville City Hall | 601 West Jefferson Street, Louisville | Progress[77] | unknown | John Andrew Artha | 1873 | Indiana limestone | The pedimental sculpture depicts a steam locomotive moving toward southern flora. | |
| Building | Location | Image | Sculpture | Sculptor | Architect | Installed | Medium | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calcasieu Parish District Courthouse | Lakeshore Drive and Kirby Street, Lake Charles | central pelican | Favrot & Livaudais[78] | 1912 | The sculpture is a version of the Seal of Louisiana, depicting the "pelican in her piety" under a scroll reading "Union, Justice and Confidence" | |||
| The Cabildo | 701 Chartres Street, New Orleans | Pietro Cardelli | Gilberto Guillemard | 1822 | The 1795-99 building's pediment originally featured the Royal Arms of Spain, by sculptor Cristobal Le Prévost.[79] [80] This was replaced in 1822 by an American eagle flanked by cannons, by Cardelli.[81] | |||
| Gallier Hall (New Orleans City Hall) | 545 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans | figures of Liberty, Justice, and Commerce[82] | R.E. Launitz | James Gallier | 1851 | white marble | ||
| Paul M. Hebert Law Center | 1 E Campus Dr, Baton Rouge | three figures | Leon C. Weiss of Weiss, Dreyfous & Seiferth[83] | 1937 | originally Leche Hall, named for Governor Richard W. Leche | |||
| Building | Location | Image | Sculpture | Sculptor | Architect | Installed | Medium | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland State House Annex | Maryland State Circle, Annapolis | Seal of Maryland | Baldwin & Pennington | 1905 | The west portico and pediment were part of a 1902-05 expansion of the 1722 building. | |||
| Whitehall | Maryland 1915 Whitehall Road, Annapolis | Seal of Province of Maryland[84] | William Buckland | Joseph Horatio Anderson | 1765 | painted wood | ||
| Baltimore City Recreational Pier | Maryland Fells Point, 1715 Thames Street, Baltimore | Recreation Pier Relief[85] | Theodore Wells Pietsch | 1914 | limestone | |||
| First Unitarian Church | Maryland Charles & Franklin Streets, Baltimore | Pediment with the Angel of Truth emerging from a sunburst[86] | Antonio Cappellano Henry Berge (1960 copy) | Maximilian Godefroy | 1818 1960 | polychrome terra cotta | The pedimental sculpture was replaced by a copy, 1960.[87] | |
| Baltimore Museum of Art | Maryland Art Museum Drive, Baltimore 39.3261°N -76.6192°W | To the Fine Arts[88] | Adolph Alexander Weinman | John Russell Pope | 1930 | limestone | ||
| Maryland Belvedere and Roland Avenues, Baltimore | unknown | Maginnis & Walsh | 1929 | |||||
| Colonial Theatre | Maryland 12-14 South Potomac Street, Hagerstown | two figures, with lute and lyre, face each other, with two angelic putti[89] | Henri Plasschaert of the Boston Terra Cotta Company | Harry E. Yessler | 1914 | polychrome terra cotta | ||
| Building | Location | Image | Sculpture | Sculptor | Architect | Installed | Medium | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dunster House | Massachusetts Harvard University, 945 Memorial Drive, Cambridge | Central pediment: Harvard College Coat of Arms | Hugh Shepley of Coolidge, Shepley, Bulfinch & Abbott | 1930 | Named for Henry Dunster, Harvard's first president. One end pavilion pediment features the coat of arms of the Dunster family, and the other the coat of arms of Dunster's alma mater, Magdalene College, Cambridge. | |||
| Mary Immaculate of Lourdes Church | Massachusetts 270 Elliot Street, Newton | The Virgin Mary flanked by attendants | Edward T. P. Graham | 1910 | ||||
| New Bedford City Hall | Massachusetts William Street, New Bedford | New Bedford Industries and City Seal[90] | Timothy J. McAuliffe | Samuel C. Hunt | 1908 | brownstone | ||
| New Bedford Institution for Savings | Massachusetts 174 Union Street, New Bedford | Worker and mother flank an angel, who is both winged and modestly dressed[91] | Hugh Cairns | Charles Brigham | 1897 | |||
| Saint Joseph Memorial Chapel | Massachusetts College of the Holy Cross, 1 College Street, Worcester | Maginnis & Walsh | 1924[92] | Memorial to Holy Cross students and alumni killed in World War I. | ||||
| Building | Location | Image | Sculpture | Sculptor | Architect | Installed | Medium | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne County Courthouse | Michigan 600 Randolph Street, Detroit | General Anthony Wayne and Indians Conducting a Treaty[93] | Edward Wagner | John Scott | 1901 | stone | ||
| Michigan State Capitol | Michigan Lansing | The Rise and Progress of Michigan[94] | Carl H. Wehner Lewis T. Ives Richard Rutter (carver) Richard Glaister (carver) | Elijah E. Myers | 1876 | sandstone | ||
| Building | Location | Image | Sculpture | Sculptor | Architect | Installed | Medium | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi State Capitol[95] | Mississippi Mississippi Street, Jackson 32.3039°N -90.1822°W | Robert Bringhurst | Theodore C. Link | 1900 | "Sculpted in 1900, with an enthroned personification of the state at the center, surrounded by figures representing Poetry, Industry, and Science, huntsmen, farmers, white people, black people, and Native American, they are Mississippi's version of the pediment of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece."[96] | |||
| Illinois State Memorial | Mississippi Vicksburg National Military Park, Vicksburg | Pediment[97] | Charles J. Mulligan | William Le Baron Jenny | 1906 | Georgia white marble | ||
| Building | Location | Image | Sculpture | Sculptor | Architect | Installed | Medium | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri State Capitol | Missouri 201 West Capitol Avenue, Jefferson City | Missouri State Capitol Pediment[98] | Adolph Alexander Weinman | Tracy & Swartout | 1926 | Burlington limestone | ||
| New Masonic Temple | Missouri 3681 Lindell Boulevard, St. Louis | two pediments, front and rear, decorate the attic temple of a neo-Classical concrete Masonic lodge[99] | Victor Berlendis[100] | Eames & Young with Albert B. Groves | 1926 | front: two lamassu standing in profile face a radiant central structure (perhaps a Masonic altar). rear: low-relief garlands and floral carving | ||
| Building | Location | Image | Sculpture | Sculptor | Architect | Installed | Medium | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omaha Central High School | Nebraska 124 N 20th Street, Omaha | Omaha Central High School pediment[101] | Jacob Maag | John Latenser Sr. | 1912 | |||
| Pawnee County Courthouse | Nebraska 625 6th St., Pawnee City 40.1081°N -96.1533°W | William F. Gernandt | 1911 | terra cotta | Classical Revival county courthouse with sculpture of two men and two women appearing to "symbolize agriculture and the fertility of the county."[102] | |||
| Washington County Courthouse | Nebraska 16th St. between Colfax and South Sts., Blair 41.54°N -96.135°W | O.H. Placey | 1889 | painted metal | Two pediments, north and west, contain symbols of the county, appearing to be set loosely in place. Items symbolize "farming in the county, the immigrant experience, and county government."[103] | |||
| Building | Location | Image | Sculpture | Sculptor | Architect | Installed | Medium | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Latchis Theatre | New Hampshire 55 Pleasant Street, Claremont | Pediment[104] | Mason & Haynes | 1928 | concrete | |||
| New Hampshire State House | New Hampshire 107 North Main Street, Concord | Seal of New Hampshire | Stuart Park | 1819 | granite | New Hampshire State House 1875: | ||
| Dover City Hall | New Hampshire 228 Central Avenue, Dover | Dover City Seal[105] | Edward J. Richardson | 1935[106] | concrete | |||
| Saint Joseph Church | New Hampshire 150 Central Avenue, Dover | St. Joseph with Infant Child[107] | Lualdi & Sons | James J. O'Shaughnessy | 1948 | Indiana limestone | ||
| Building | Location | Image | Sculpture | Sculptor | Architect | Installed | Medium | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jersey City City Hall | New Jersey 280 Grove Street, Jersey City | two pediment sculptures | Lewis Broome[108] | 1896 | metal | three of five original pediments destroyed in 1955 fire[109] | ||
| William L. Dickinson High School | New Jersey 2 Palisade Avenue, Jersey City | John T. Rowland | 1906 | |||||
| American Insurance Company Building | New Jersey 15 Washington Street, Newark | central eagle in deep relief, trailing garlands | John H. & Wilson C. Ely | 1930 | limestone | Formerly housed S. I. Newhouse Center for Law and Justice (Rutgers School of Law – Newark) | ||
| New Brunswick Free Public Library | New Jersey 60 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick | six full-length male and female figures in high relief | Jacobson & Co., contractors[110] | George K. Parsell | 1903 | part of the Livingston Avenue Historic District[111] | ||
| Old Passaic County Courthouse | New Jersey 71 Hamilton Street, Paterson, New Jersey | multiple robed figures, the middle two of whom flank a seal or escutcheon, in deep relief | Samuel Burrage Reed | 1903 | marble[112] | |||
| Building | Location | Image | Sculpture | Sculptor | Architect | Installed | Medium | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo History Museum (built as the New York State Pavilion for the 1901 Pan-American Exposition) | New York Delaware Park, Buffalo | Pediment[113] | Edmond Amateis | George Cary | 1930 | Vermont white marble | The building's pediment was blank for the 1901 Pan-American Exposition.[114] Amateis created the pedimental sculptures and 9 relief panels, 1929-30.[115] | |
| Greene County Courthouse[116] | New York Catskill | A. P. Lombard Company | William J. Beardsley | 1909 | Ohio sandstone | |||
| Hall of Christ | New York Chautauqua Institution, Wythe & South Streets, Chautauqua | Aula Christie pediment[117] | Paul J. Pelz | 1908[118] | concrete | The sculptured pediment features an open Bible emitting rays of knowledge. | ||
| Elmira City Hall | New York Lake & West Church Streets, Elmira | Arts & Sciences | South pediment: The Arts and Sciences[119] East pediment: Liberty? | New York Architectural Terra-Cotta Company | Pierce & Bickford | 1895 | terra cotta | |
| Bronx Zoo | New York Bronx Park, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York City | Primate House: Orangutan Pediment[120] | A. Phimister Proctor | Heins & La Farge | 1901 | stone | Proctor also modeled the baboon figure atop the pediment and the monkey frieze along the building's cornice. | |
| Lion House: Lion Pediment[121] | Eli Harvey | 1903 | stone | Harvey also modeled the seated lion sentinels and the lion heads in the building's cornice. | ||||
| Brooklyn Museum | New York 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, New York City | Science and Art[122] | Daniel Chester French Adolph Alexander Weinman Piccirilli Brothers (carvers) | McKim, Mead & White | 1913 | Indiana limestone | ||
| Dime Savings Bank of Brooklyn | New York 9 DeKalb Avenue, Brooklyn, New York City | Morning and Evening of Life[123] | Lee Lawrie | Robert Helmer Halsey, McCormack & Helmer | 1932 | stone | The original 1908 building, by architects Mowbray & Uffinger, had no pediment.https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015036009242;view=1up;seq=54 The portico and pediment were added by Helmer, 1931-32. | |
| People's Trust Company | New York 183 Montague Street, Brooklyn, New York City | a male and female figure recline on either side of an emblem | Mowbray and Uffinger[124] | 1903 | marble | |||
| Appellate Division Courthouse of New York State | New York 35 East 25th Street, Manhattan, New York City | The Triumph of Law[125] | Charles Henry Niehaus | James Brown Lord | 1900 | white marble | Daniel Chester French's acroterion sculpture Justice, atop the pediment. | |
| Baudouine Building | New York 1181-1183 Broadway, Manhattan, New York City | one fully carved pediment on an attic Greek temple, facing east; another two pediments on top floor contain floral designs[126] [127] | Alfred Zucker | 1896 | difficult to see from street level | |||
| Bowery Savings Bank | New York 130 Bowery, Manhattan, New York City | 130 Bowery pediment | 2 identical sculpture groups[128] | Frederick MacMonnies Piccirilli Brothers (carvers) | Stanford White McKim, Mead & White | 1895 | limestone | The L-shaped building has sculptured pediments on the Bowery and Grand Street facades. 228 Grand Street pediment: |
| Federal Hall (demolished) | New York Wall Street, Manhattan, New York City | Eagle Pediment | unknown | Pierre Charles L'Enfant | 1788 | wood? | George Washington's first presidential inauguration took place on the balcony in 1789. Demolished 1812 | |
| Henry Clay Frick House Frick Collection | New York 1 East 70th Street, Manhattan, New York City | Garden pavilion, south pediment:[129] | Philip Martiny Ardolino Brothers (carvers) | Thomas Hastings | 1914 | Bedford blue limestone | Two of the rounded pediments adorn the garden pavilion, at left. | |
| Garden pavilion, north pediment: Music[130] | Attilio Piccirilli Ardolino Brothers (carvers) | 1914 | Bedford blue limestone | |||||
| 70th Street pediment: | Sherry Fry[131] | 1914 | Originally over the porte cochere. Now over the public entrance. Modeled by Audrey Munson. | |||||
| 71st Street pediment: | Charles Keck | 1914 | Originally over the porte cochere. Now beside the Frick Art Reference Library entrance. | |||||
| Hudson River Railway Company Freight Terminal (demolished) (New York Central Railroad) | New York Hudson Street at St. John's Park, Manhattan, New York City | Cornelius Vanderbilt pediment | Ernst Plassmann | George Fischer & Brother, founder | 1868 | Statue: bronze Relief: bronze | The statue was relocated in 1929 to Grand Central Terminal:[132] The freight terminal site is now an approach to the Holland Tunnel. | |
| Madison Square Presbyterian Church (demolished) | New York Madison Square, 24th Street & Madison Avenue, Manhattan, New York City | The Adoration of the Shrine of Truth - pedimental relief sculpture of the Ark of the Covenant, flanked by angels, cherubs, a knight and a shepherd - figures in white & gold set against a blue background | Adolph Alexander Weinman | Stanford White McKim, Mead & White Atlantic Terra Cotta Company | 1910 | terra cotta | MMA Library exterior, 1920. The 44-foot-long pediment was removed prior to the church's demolition in 1919, and installed on the exterior of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Library.[133] It was destroyed during a museum expansion in 1960. | |
| Museum of the City of New York | New York 1220-27 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, New York City | Seal of New York City | Leo Friedlander | Joseph H. Freedlander | 1930 | white marble | ||
| New York City Police Headquarters | New York 240 Center Street, Manhattan, New York City | four pediments, with the main (western) facade featuring two figures on either side of a crest, trailing garlands, another version of the NYC municipal seal[134] | Hoppin & Koen | 1909 | ||||
| New York County Courthouse (now New York State Supreme Court Building) | New York 60 Centre Street, Manhattan, New York City | The True Administration of Justice is the Finest Pillar of Good Government[135] | Frederick Warren Allen | Guy Lowell | 1927 | granite | ||
| New York County National Bank Building | New York Eight Avenue and West 14th Street, Manhattan, New York City | a lone eagle, wings spread, centered in the pediment[136] | unknown | Rudolphe L. Daus De Lemos & Cordes | 1907 | stone | ||
| New York Public Library Main Branch | New York Fifth Avenue & 42nd Street, Manhattan, New York City | Northern pediment: The Arts[137] | George Grey Barnard John Donnelly (carver) Ulysses Ricci carver | Carrère and Hastings | 1917 | marble | The sculptured pediments are atop the end pavilions of the Fifth Avenue façade. | |
| Southern pediment: History[138] | George Grey Barnard John Donnelly (carver) Ulysses Ricci carver | 1917 | marble | |||||
| New York Stock Exchange | New York 11 Wall Street, Manhattan, New York City | Integrity Protecting the Works of Man[139] | John Quincy Adams Ward with Paul Wayland Bartlett Gentulio Piccirilli (carver) | George Browne Post | 1904 | white marble (1904) painted copper (1936) | Ward's marble figures were replaced with painted copper replicas in 1936. | |
| St. Andrew's Roman Catholic Church | New York 20 Cardinal Hayes Place, Manhattan, New York City | two male winged angels flank a cartouche[140] [141] | Maginnis & Walsh with Robert J. Reiley | 1939 | ||||
| St. Paul's Chapel | New York 209 Broadway, Manhattan, New York City | Statue of St. Paul | unknown | Thomas McBean | 1790 | wood (tulip poplar) | In a 1799 painting by Archibald Robertson: The statue was replaced by a resin replica in 2016.[142] The original has been restored,[143] and is now housed inside the chapel. | |
| Kykuit John D. Rockefeller Estate | New York 200 Lake Road, Pocantico Hills | Francois Tonetti, possibly assisted by his spouse Mary Lawrence Tonetti | Delano & Aldrich | 1913 | ||||
| New York University of Rochester, Rochester | Ulysses Ricci Edward Ardolino (carver) | Charles A. Platt Gordon & Kaelber | 1930 | |||||
| Hall of Springs | New York Saratoga Spa State Park, Saratoga Springs | 3 pediments: Man and Nature Join Together in the Waters of the Springs[144] Athena Introduces Asklepios to the Saratoga Springs[145] The Infidelity of Asklepios[146] | George H. Snowden | Joseph H. Freedlander | 1934 | stone | ||
| Building | Location | Image | Sculpture | Sculptor | Architect | Installed | Medium | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stark County Courthouse | Ohio Tuscarawas Street, Canton | Commerce - Justice - Agriculture - Industry[147] | unknown | George F. Hammond | 1895 | The 1870 Second Empire style courthouse was dramatically altered to a Beaux Arts style by Hammond, 1893-95.[148] | ||
| Cleveland Trust Company Building | Ohio 9th Street & Euclid Avenue, Cleveland | The Blessings of Land and Water[149] | Karl Bitter | George Browne Post & Sons | 1907 | granite | ||
| Severance Hall | Ohio 11001 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland | Severance Hall Pediment[150] | Henry Hering | Frank Ginn Walker and Weeks | 1931 | Indiana limestone | ||
| Stambaugh Auditorium | Ohio 1000 Fifth Avenue, Youngstown | Pediment Group[151] | Gaetano Cecere | Harvey Wiley Corbett | 1926 | Indiana limestone | ||
| Building | Location | Image | Sculpture | Sculptor | Architect | Installed | Medium | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kirby Hall, Lafayette College | Pennsylvania 730 High Street, Easton | two female figures with props (fasces, scales, crown, owl, a pile of books) flank a rectangular panel reading "Hall of Civil Rights", with eagle perched above[152] | Edward McCartan | Warren and Wetmore | 1930 | |||
| Lynnewood Hall | Pennsylvania 920 Spring Avenue, Elkins Park | Pedimental sculpture[153] | Henri-Léon Gréber | Horace Trumbauer | 1914 | Caen stone | Trumbauer altered the 1897 mansion's original pediment to accommodate Gréber's sculpture group.[154] | |
| Westmoreland County Courthouse | Pennsylvania 2 North Main Street, Greensburg | William S. Kaufman | 1906 | |||||
| Matthew Ryan Legislative Office Building | Pennsylvania Third Street and Pine Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex, Harrisburg | John T. Windrim | 1893 | built as Executive Library and Museum Building[155] | ||||
| Broad Street Station (demolished) | Pennsylvania Broad & Market Streets, Philadelphia | Fire and Water Tamed and Harnessed to the Service of Man | Karl Bitter | Frank Furness | 1894 | red terra cotta | Installed above the entrance to the 15th Street tunnel. Demolished 1953 | |
| First Bank of the United States | Pennsylvania 120 South 3rd Street, Philadelphia | Eagle Pediment[156] | Clodius F. Legrand & Sons | Samuel Blodgett (attributed), possibly with James Hoban[157] | 1797 | painted mahogany | ||
| Free Library of Philadelphia Parkway Central Library | Pennsylvania 1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia | Eastern pediment: History of Printing[158] | John Donnelly & Company[159] | Horace Trumbauer | 1927 | limestone | Vine Street façade:Putti with books and screw printing press: | |
| Western pediment: Writing | John Donnelly & Company[160] | 1927 | limestone | Putti with paper and typewriter: | ||||
| Germantown High School | Pennsylvania 40 High Street, Philadelphia | a central winged female figure is flanked by 11 other figures, with children holding scrolls, skulls, a locomotive, other allegorical props | Louis Milione[161] | 1914[162] | ||||
| Girard Trust Corn Exchange Bank (now Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia) | Pennsylvania 34-35 South Broad Street, Philadelphia | Relief portrait bust of Stephen Girard flanked by sailing ships | Frank Furness (preliminary design) Allen Evans (plan) McKim, Mead & White (detailing) | 1908 | white marble | Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia: | ||
| Philadelphia County Family Court Building | Pennsylvania 1801 Vine Street, Philadelphia | Eastern pediment: Family Unity | Giuseppe Donato | John T. Windrim Morton Keast | 1940 | limestone | The building is a near twin to the Parkway Central Library (left). | |
| Western pediment: Family Protection[163] | Louis Milione | 1940 | limestone | |||||
| Philadelphia Museum of Art | Pennsylvania Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia | Western Civilization[164] | C. Paul Jennewein | Horace Trumbauer Zantzinger & Borie | 1932 | polychrome terra cotta | The museum's exterior features 8 pediments. Only this sculpture group has been completed. The one-third-size plaster models for sculptor John Gregory's never-completed Pursuit of Wisdom Pediment (1926) are in PMA's collection.[165] | |
| Rodin Museum | Pennsylvania Benjamin Franklin Parkway & 21st Street, Philadelphia | replica of the Meudon Monument (Rodin's grave) | Benedict Stone Corp. | Paul Philippe Cret | 1929 | limestone sculpture: cast stone | The Meudon Monument features the ruins of an 18th-century façade from the Château d'Issy (burned 1871). Rodin's grave is marked by a copy of his most famous sculpture, The Thinker.[166] | |
| University of Pennsylvania Law School (now Silverman Hall)[167] | Pennsylvania 34th & Chestnut Streets, Philadelphia | pediment with two unicorns flanking cartouche, eagle above | Edward Maene | Cope and Stewardson | 1902 | limestone | The building was modeled after Christopher Wren's 1689–1702 addition to Hampton Court Palace, which shows a similar heraldic image but with no pediment. | |
| Building | Location | Image | Sculpture | Sculptor | Architect | Installed | Medium | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston City Hall (formerly Charleston Branch, Bank of the United States) | South Carolina 80 Broad Street, Charleston | Charleston City Seal[168] | James E. Walker & Brothers | Gabriel Manigault (attributed), 1804[169] Charles Reichardt, 1839 | 1839 | stone | Manigault designed the building as the Charleston Branch, Bank of the United States, 1804. Reichardt altered it into the City Hall, 1839. The seal's Latin motto translates, '"The Body Politic, She Guards Her Buildings, Customs and Laws." The building is the "second-oldest city hall in continuous use in America."[170] | |
| South Carolina National Bank of Charleston | South Carolina 16 Broad Street, Charleston | carved, gilded eagle[171] | unknown | unknown | 1817 | gilded oak | ||
| Building | Location | Image | Sculpture | Sculptor | Architect | Installed | Medium | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelby County Courthouse | Tennessee 160 Adams Street, Memphis | Four pediment groups: Canon Law, Roman Law, Statutory Law, Civil Law and Criminal Law. | J. Massey Rhind | H. D. Hale and James Gamble Rogers[172] | Building constructed in 1909 | |||
| Parthenon | Tennessee Centennial Park, Nashville | East pediment: The Birth of Athena[173] | George Julian Zolnay (1897) Belle Kinney (1931) Leopold Scholz (1931) | Capt. W.C. Smith, (1897) Russell E. Hart, (1931) | 1931 | painted concrete | Nashville's nickname is "The Athens of the South," and a replica of the Parthenon was built to be the main attraction at the 1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition. Constructed of artificial stone over wood, it was expected to be temporary building. A permanent replica, constructed of concrete over a steel armature, was begun in the 1920s and completed in 1931.[174] | |
| West pediment: The Battle between Athena and Poseidon[175] | ||||||||
| Schermerhorn Symphony Center | Tennessee 1 Symphony Place, Nashville | Raymond Kaskey | David M. Schwarz Earl Swensson Associates | 2006 | marble | Home of the Nashville Symphony | ||
| Building | Location | Image | Sculpture | Sculptor | Architect | Installed | Medium | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Washington Masonic National Memorial | Virginia 101 Callahan Drive, Alexandria | George Washington Medallion[177] | Gail Sherman Corbett | Harvey Wiley Corbett | 1932 | granite | ||
| Cabell Hall | Virginia University of Virginia, Charlottesville | Ye Shall Know the Truth, and the Truth Shall Make You Free[178] | George Julian Zolnay | Stanford White McKim, Mead & White | 1898 | painted concrete | ||
| Building | Location | Image | Sculpture | Sculptor | Architect | Installed | Medium | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marion County Courthouse | West Virginia Adams & Jefferson Streets, Fairmont | Entrance Pediment[179] | W. D. Priest of Whyte & Priest | Yost & Packard | 1900 | stone | ||
| Tyler County Courthouse and Jail | West Virginia Main & Dodd Streets, Middlebourne | seated Justice flanked by male and female supplicants[180] | unknown | Holmboe and Pogue | 1922 | The portico and pediment date from the 1922 redesign of an 1854 building. | ||
| Building | Location | Image | Sculpture | Sculptor | Architect | Installed | Medium | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin State Capitol | Wisconsin 2 East Main Street, Madison | East pediment: Liberty Supported by the Law[181] | Karl Bitter John Grignola (carver) | George Browne Post & Sons | 1910 | Bethel Vermont granite[182] | ||
| West pediment: Wisconsin State Resources[183] | Karl Bitter | 1917 | Bethel Vermont granite | Bitter's plaster model for the west pediment. | ||||
| North pediment: The Learning of the World[184] | Attilio Piccirilli Furio Piccirilli (carver) | 1915 | Bethel white granite | |||||
| South pediment: Wisdom, Thought, and Reflection[185] | Adolph Alexander Weinman | 1917 | Bethel Vermont granite | |||||
| Germania Building | Wisconsin 135 W. Wells Street, Milwaukee | two pediments: lower on entry portico has two putti flanking cartouche, upper with two seated figures flanking cartouche reading "1896"[186] | Carl Kuehns of the Milwaukee Ornamental Carving Company[187] | Schnetsky & Liebert | 1896 | stone | ||
