I titled Part 8 of this series “Meridian Hill Park”, but wound up talking about the west side of 16th Street, and not venturing into the park at all. This time, we will look at the park, and nothing but the park, so help me, God.

Meridian Hill Park is a beautifully designed, 12 acre park, bordered by W Street on the south, Euclid on the north, 16tth Street on the west and 15th on the east. Meridian Hill itself is a hill, but the park is designed on two flat levels. The north level is centered by a large open space, and the lower level by statuary and (when operating) an extensive cascade of water, with a pool and fountains. They are separated by elegant steps.

I did state before that, when Washington was planned, 16th Street was to be the longitudinal meridian from which other locations could be measured, and there was an early 19th century mansion named Meridian Hill at the top of what is now the park. That house burned and was not rebuilt, and the land was used for military purposes and known as Camp Cameron during the Civil War.  Mary Foote Henderson and her husband of the Henderson castle across the street had purchased part of the site in the hopes of convincing the government to build a new White House there, or to put the planned Lincoln Memorial there. Her plans failed, and the result, early in the 20th century, was this park, which is still operated by the National Park Service.

During the 1970s, there was a movement to rename the park for Malcolm X, but the new name was not officially approved, although even today, it is sometimes used.

These three pictures show the upper park on a weekday afternoon. Weekends are much more crowded. Dogs, children…..the usual. Along with a popular Sunday afternoon drum circle.

The cascading water has been turned off pending repairs. Will it ever be restored?

Now, let’s look at statuary.

Serenity, built to honor Navy Commander William Schuetze (misspelled on the statue), has seen better days. She sits, surrounded by greenery, on a side trail in the upper park. Schuetze was in the Navy during the Spanish-American War, and later, the president of International Harvester Company. The statue was commissioned by a classmate after Schuetze’s death.

Now, below.

I think this is the world’s only memorial to James Buchanan, whose presidency is ranked with Donald Trump’s. Certainly, there is no other in DC. The statue was commissioned by Buchanan’s niece and approved by Congress.

Joan was a gift to American women by the Ladies of France in Exile in New York in 1922. This is a cast of an earlier statue which sits in front of the Cathedral in Reims.

This is a copy of a statue in New York, meant to celebrate the successes of Italian Americans.