Explore the history of one of DC's most famous and historic pieces of public art: the Dupont Circle Fountain. More than just a location for Flash Mob Mamma Mia Dupont Circle, the Great Washington DC Snow Ball Battle of 2012, a virtual landmark in the video game Fallout 3, and site of 014 World Cup - Germany scoring on the US - DuPont Circle, Washington DC - 6.26.14., this episode is the Dupont Circle Fountain Flash Mob of History.

Hello History Hatters!

The park which is today located in Dupont Circle once looked very different.

In fact, the designer of historic Washington, Pierre L'Enfant, originally named the circle Pacific Circle.

In 1882, Congress renamed it Dupont Circle in honor of Civil War Rear Admiral Samuel Francis Du Pont.

Congress also commissioned a statue to be erected in Du Pont's honor, but the work by American sculptor Launt Thompson was criticized for being an awkward eyesore, with iron whiskers.

The Du Pont family offered to pay for its replacement and convinced Congress to remove it to Wilmington, Delaware, where it still resides today.

Taking no chances on the second attempt to memorialize the rear-admiral, the Du Pont family commissioned

the creators of the Lincoln Memorial, Daniel Chester French and Henry Bacon to design the current fountain.

The inscription at the base of the fountain identifies Admiral Du Pont and states:

"This memorial fountain replaces a statue erected by the Congress of the United States in recognition of his distinguished services."

No matter which of the six radial paths we take each one will lead us to the Dupont Circle fountain, positioned in the center.

Once we reach the plaza, the fountain rises from the horizon due to its gradually raised concrete base with four sets of small steps leading up to the marble fountains Basin wall.

Peeking out from the fountain's base, the three figures represent the sea, the stars, and the wind, each eight feet tall.

These figures challenge us to brush past them without even a glance.

One can almost hear the squawk of the seagull perched on the Sea's shoulder as she holds the whole of a ship in a single hand and keeps a sea serpent at bay with only one foot.

The partially nude stars glances nonchalantly downward on her subjects holding the earth peacefully in her capable palm, while she runs her free hand through her gorgeous locks of hair.

The wind holds tight to a conch shell in one hand and to his sail in the other.

His stylized drapery effectively creates a dramatized sense of movement, but his struggling face arrests our attention on his handsome classical figure.

The design of the fountains upper basin permits water to trickle out of its tricorn spouts, while affording viewers a nearly unobstructed view of the statues through the gap in the waterfalls.

One need only spend a moment near the fountain to discern that French and Bacon designed a masterpiece.

In the 1970s Dupont Circle became the site of some of Washington's earliest gay pride parades, with the first event held on a side street just a few blocks from the fountain.

Pride activities now encompass the whole neighborhood, with special activities still taking place in the circle.

The circle remains a rallying point for protestors who congregate here and then marched down Connecticut Avenue to the White House.

This was certainly the case during the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis during the Reagan Administration.

During troubling times, the fountain also serves as the altar for vigils, such as the tragic shootings at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

In 2018, a memorial service was held here to honor Matthew Shepard, preceding his interment in the National Cathedral.

The fountain may be just cold marble, but the active role it plays in the lives of Washingtonians represents something truly monumental.

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