View source for George Mason Memorial

{{Short description|Memorial by Wendy M. Ross in Washington, D.C., U.S.}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox protected area
| name = George Mason Memorial
| photo = George Mason memorial.jpg
| photo_caption = 
| map = United States Washington, D.C. central#District of Columbia#USA
| map_caption =
| location = Washington, D.C., United States
| nearest_city =
| coordinates = {{coords|38|52|46|N|77|2|21|W|region:US|display=inline, title}}
| coords_ref = 
| area =
| established = Authorized: 1990<br>Groundbroken: 2000<br>Dedicated: 2002
| visitation_num =
| visitation_year = 
| governing_body = [[National Park Service]]
| website= [https://www.nps.gov/nama/planyourvisit/george-mason-memorial.htm George Mason Memorial]
}}<!-- Note: site is not listed in IUCN database, but appears to conform with Category V -->
The '''George Mason Memorial''' is a memorial to [[Founding Fathers of the United States|Founding Father]] [[George Mason]], the author of the [[Virginia Declaration of Rights]] that inspired the [[United States Bill of Rights]]. The Memorial is located in [[West Potomac Park]] within Washington, D.C. at 24 E Basin Drive SW, which is a part of the [[Tidal Basin]].{{sfnm |1a1= Yates| 1y = 2002 }} Authorized in 1990, with a groundbreaking in 2000 and dedication in 2002, the memorial includes a sculpture of Mason, a pool, trellis, circular hedges, and numerous inscriptions. It was the first memorial in the Tidal Basin area to be dedicated to someone who was not a former President of the United States.{{sfnm |1a1= Yates| 1y = 2002}}

==Namesake==
The memorial commemorates the contributions of [[George Mason|Mason]], a [[Founding Fathers of the United States|Founding Father]] who wrote the [[Virginia Declaration of Rights]], served as a delegate to the 1787 [[Constitutional Convention (United States)|Constitutional Convention]] in [[Philadelphia]], and created much of the language, inspiration, and groundwork for what became the [[United States Bill of Rights]]. Mason, an [[Anti-Federalism|Anti-Federalist]], did not sign the [[United States Constitution]] because it did not abolish the [[Slavery in the United States|slave trade]] and because he did not think it had necessary protection for the individual from the [[Federal government of the United States|federal government]].{{sfnm |1a1= Jarvis | 1y = 2016b }} He was sometimes known as the "reluctant statesman", which was also the title of a 1980 biography written about him by Robert A. Rutland.{{sfnm |1a1= Rutland | 1y = 1980 }}

==History==
The memorial was authorized by [[Act of Congress|Public Law]] 101-358 on August 10, 1990, to be developed by the [[board of regents]] of [[Gunston Hall]], a museum at Mason's historic home in [[Mason Neck, Virginia]].{{sfnm |1a1=101st Congress | 1y=1990 }} The memorial's [[landscape architect]] was Faye B. Harwell and the sculptor was Wendy M. Ross. The [[groundbreaking]] was October 18, 2000, and the completed memorial was [[Opening ceremony|dedicated]] on April 9, 2002.{{sfnm |1a1= Yates| 1y = 2002}}

The memorial was placed within an existing historic garden, at the site of the last remaining "national garden" of the four that had been established in Washington by the [[McMillan Plan]] of 1902. In 1929, the garden was redesigned as "the Pansy Garden". The designers of the George Mason Memorial researched and restored the original circular garden layout, and plantings drew from that heritage, as well as from Mason's own favored plants and those used at Gunston Hall.{{sfnm |1a1= Yates| 1y = 2002}}

The George Mason Memorial is currently administered as part of the [[National Park Service]] and is within the jurisdiction of the [[National Mall and Memorial Parks]].{{sfnm |1a1= Yates| 1y = 2002}} The George Mason Memorial is one of three sites in the [[National Mall]] area where weddings are permitted; the nearby [[Jefferson Memorial]] and the [[District of Columbia War Memorial]] are the others.{{sfnm |1a1=Ruyle | 1y=2012 | 2a1=Montgomery | 2y=2015 }}[[File:Tidal Basin - Cherry Blossoms - panoramio.jpg|thumb|Panorama of the [[National Cherry Blossom Festival|cherry blossoms]] at the Tidal Basin, the location of the memorial.{{refn | Taken July 23, 2007}}]]
The memorial is one of many [[List of public art in Washington, D.C., Ward 2|outdoor public art installations within Ward 2 of the District]]. It is located near the intersection of Ohio Drive and East Basin Drive,{{sfnm | 1a1=Jarvis | 1y=2014 }} The site is within the southwest quadrant of the District of Columbia, within West Potomac Park.{{sfnm | 1a1=Jarvis | 1y=2014 }} It is located near the five [[14th Street bridges]] across the [[Potomac River]], one of which is also named for Mason.

==Sculpture==
 
The design features a {{convert|72|ft|m|adj=on}} long stone wall with a one-third larger than life-sized [[statue]] of a sitting Mason, his legs crossed, and a circular [[Reflecting pool|pool]] with a fountain.{{sfnm |1a1= Dolan | 1y = 2001c }} Mason leans back on his left hand to ponder something from [[Cicero]]'s 44 BC treatise ''[[De Officiis]]'', which he holds closed on his right index finger. Two other volumes, [[John Locke]]'s 1706 posthumously published ''[[Of the Conduct of the Understanding]]'' and [[Jean-Jacques Rousseau]]'s ''[[The Social Contract|Du Contract Social]]'' (1762), sit on the bench to Mason's left. Mason's [[walking stick]] leans on his hat which sits on the bench to his right.{{sfnm | 1ps= {{pad|1px}}"... George Mason Memorial lies on the southern side of the Tidal Basin." | ps=. | 1a1 = Coleman|1y = 2016 }}

==Inscriptions==
[[File:George Mason Memorial inscription.jpg|thumb|Memorial inscription{{refn|December 2014}}]]
The circular hedges and pool are supported by a {{convert|9|x|72|ft|m|abbr=on}} trellis that curves around the back of the memorial.{{sfnm |1a1= Dolan | 1y = 2001a  }} Underneath the trellis are three walls with inscriptions that are {{convert|4|ft|m}} high,{{sfnm |1a1= Dolan | 1y = 2001a }}  which include the following quotes:

"This was George Mason, a man of the first order of wisdom among those who acted on the theatre of the revolution, of expansive mind, profound judgment, cogent in argument.... Thomas Jefferson, 1821"{{sfnm |1a1= Dolan | 1y = 2001b }}

"Regarding slavery.... that slow poison, which is daily contaminating the minds and morals of our people. Every gentlemen here is born a petty tyrant. Practiced in acts of despotism and cruelty, we become callous to the dictates of humanity, and all the finer feelings of the soul. Taught to regard a part of our own species in the most abject and contemptible degree below us, we lose that idea of the dignity of man, which the hand of nature had implanted in us, for great and useful purposes.... George Mason, July 1773"{{sfnm |1a1= Dolan | 1y = 2001b  }}

"I recommend it to my sons.... never to let the motives of private interest or ambition to induce them to betray, nor the terrors of poverty and disgrace or the fear of danger or of death deter them from asserting the liberty of their country, and endeavoring to transmit to their posterity those sacred rights to which themselves were born. George Mason, March 1773"{{sfnm |1a1= Dolan | 1y = 2001b  }}

"All men are born equally free and independent, and have certain inherent natural rights... among which are the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety. George Mason, May 1776"{{sfnm |1a1= Dolan | 1y = 2001b  }}

"The first declaration of rights which truly deserves the name is that of Virginia... and its author is entitled to the eternal gratitude of mankind. Marquis de Condorcet, Paris 1789"{{sfnm |1a1= Dolan | 1y = 2001b  }}

==See also==
*[[Benjamin Franklin National Memorial]]
*[[Jefferson Memorial]]
*[[James Madison Memorial Building]]
*[[Washington Monument]]
*[[Memorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence]]
*[[Architecture of Washington, D.C.]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=notes}}
{{Reflist|25em}}

==References==
{{Refbegin|25em}}
* {{Citation| last = 101st Congress| title = An act to authorize the Board of Regents of Gunston Hall to establish a memorial to George Mason in the District of Columbia| date = August 10, 1990}}
* {{Cite web| last = Coleman| first = David| title = George Mason Memorial Tidal Basin, Washington DC| work= Have Camera Will Travel| access-date = August 6, 2016|year = 2016| url = http://davidcolemanphoto.photoshelter.com/image/I0000szNNtn6DXz8| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170208033751/http://davidcolemanphoto.photoshelter.com/image/I0000szNNtn6DXz8| archive-date = February 8, 2017| df = mdy-all}}
* {{Cite web| last = Dolan| first = Susan| title = George Mason Memorial – Trellis| work= List of Classified Structures| access-date = February 7, 2017| date = 2001a| url = http://hscl.cr.nps.gov/insidenps/report.asp?STATE=DC&PARK=NAMA&STRUCTURE=&SORT=&RECORDNO=215| archive-url = http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20160824201203/http%3A//www.hscl.cr.nps.gov/insidenps/report.asp?STATE%3DDC%26PARK%3DNAMA%26STRUCTURE%3D%26SORT%3D%26RECORDNO%3D215| url-status = dead| archive-date = August 24, 2016}}
* {{Cite web| last = Dolan| first = Susan| title = George Mason Memorial – Inscription Walls| work= List of Classified Structures| access-date = February 7, 2017| date = 2001b| url = http://hscl.cr.nps.gov/insidenps/report.asp?STATE=DC&PARK=NAMA&STRUCTURE=&SORT=&RECORDNO=223| archive-url = http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20160826230031/http%3A//www.hscl.cr.nps.gov/insidenps/report.asp?STATE%3DDC%26PARK%3DNAMA%26STRUCTURE%3D%26SORT%3D%26RECORDNO%3D223| url-status = dead| archive-date = August 26, 2016}}
* {{Cite web| last = Dolan| first = Susan| title = George Mason Memorial – Statue| work= List of Classified Structures| access-date = February 7, 2017| date = 2001c| url = http://hscl.cr.nps.gov/insidenps/report.asp?STATE=DC&PARK=NAMA&STRUCTURE=&SORT=&RECORDNO=227| archive-url = http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20160826230104/http%3A//www.hscl.cr.nps.gov/insidenps/report.asp?STATE%3DDC%26PARK%3DNAMA%26STRUCTURE%3D%26SORT%3D%26RECORDNO%3D227| url-status = dead| archive-date = August 26, 2016}}
* {{Citation| publisher = National Park Service| last = Jarvis| first = Jonathan B.| title = National Mall Map| date = October 20, 2014}}
* {{Citation|work=Cherry Blossom Festival | publisher = National Park Service| last = Jarvis| first = Jonathan B.| title = History of the Cherry Trees| date = March 22, 2016a|access-date=March 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322234420/http://www.nps.gov/subjects/cherryblossom/history-of-the-cherry-trees.htm|archive-date=March 22, 2016|url-status=live |url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/cherryblossom/history-of-the-cherry-trees.htm}}
* {{Cite conference| publisher = National Park Service| last = Jarvis| first = Jonathan B.| title = George Mason Memorial| location = Washington, DC| date = February 15, 2016b}}
* {{Cite news| issn = 0190-8286| last = Montgomery| first = David| title = In the stories it tells, the National Mall reflects America's state of constant change| newspaper = The Washington Post| access-date = February 15, 2016| date = September 15, 2015| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/the-nationals-mall-immortal-reflection/2015/09/15/9544c86a-3d10-11e5-b3ac-8a79bc44e5e2_story.html}}
* {{cite web |last=Rehnquist |first=William |author-link=William Rehnquist |title=Remarks by William R. Rehnquist |publisher=[[United States Supreme Court]] |date=April 27, 2001 |access-date=November 3, 2015 |url=https://www.supremecourt.gov/publicinfo/speeches/sp_04-27-01.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924130536/http://www.supremecourt.gov/publicinfo/speeches/sp_04-27-01.html |archive-date=September 24, 2015  }}
* {{Cite book| publisher = LSU Press| isbn = 978-0-8071-5343-7| last = Rutland| first = Robert A.| title = George Mason: Reluctant Statesman| date = April 1, 1980}}
* {{Cite web| last = Ruyle| first = Megan| title = Plan for a capital wedding| work= [[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]| format = Text| access-date = February 15, 2016| date = February 14, 2012| url = https://thehill.com/special-reports/weddings-february-2012/187547-plan-for-a-capital-wedding/ }}
* {{Cite web| last = Sadon| first = Rachel| title = Use The Tinder Of Cherry Trees To Have A Personal Cherry Blossom Festival| work= DCist| access-date = June 26, 2016| date = April 8, 2015| url = http://dcist.com/2015/04/have_a_personal_cherry_blossom_fest.php| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160426071758/http://dcist.com/2015/04/have_a_personal_cherry_blossom_fest.php| archive-date = April 26, 2016| df = mdy-all}}
* {{cite news|last1=Yates|first1=George|title=George Mason National Memorial by Rhodeside & Harwell Incorporated|url=http://www.archnewsnow.com/features/Feature13.htm|access-date=February 7, 2017|publisher=Architecture News Now|date=April 8, 2002}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://www.nps.gov/nama/planyourvisit/george-mason-memorial.htm National Park Service: official '''George Mason Memorial''' website]

{{George Mason|state=expanded}}
{{Washington DC landmarks}}
{{Public art in Washington, D.C.}}
{{Protected Areas of the District of Columbia}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:2002 establishments in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:2002 sculptures]]
[[Category:Artworks in the collection of the National Park Service]]
[[Category:Bronze sculptures in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in 2002]]
[[Category:George Mason]]
[[Category:Monuments and memorials on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:National Mall and Memorial Parks]]
[[Category:National Park Service areas in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Outdoor sculptures in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Protected areas established in 2002]]
[[Category:Sculptures of men in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Statues in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Southwest (Washington, D.C.)]]
[[Category:Sculptures of books]]
[[Category:Statues of U.S. Founding Fathers]]
[[Category:Bench monuments]]