Bartholdi Park is a public park named after French sculptor

Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi ( , ; 2 August 1834 – 4 October 1904) was a French sculpture, sculptor and painting, painter. He is best known for designing ''Liberty Enlightening the World'', commonly known as the Statue of Liberty. Early life a ...

, who is known primarily for designing the

Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; French: ''La Liberté éclairant le monde'') is a List of colossal sculpture in situ, colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor in New York City, in the U ...

. It is located at the corner of Independence Avenue and Washington Avenue. Bartholdi Park is part of the

United States Botanic Garden The United States Botanic Garden (USBG) is a botanical garden on the grounds of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., near Garfield Circle. The Botanic Garden is supervised by the Congress through the Architect of the Capitol, who ...

located on the grounds of the

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill ...

History

Bartholdi Park was created as an exclave of the United States Botanic Garden in 1932, following the garden's move from their original location at the base of the Capitol in 1927. Originally created as a showcase for American horticulture, the park has continued this purpose to this day. While once having its beds planted in a formal, classical style to facilitate public gatherings, the gardens have been continually redesigned to reflect modern American horticulture and to allow the addition of new plants. In 1985, the park was renamed Bartholdi Park, after

, the sculptor of the Bartholdi fountain in the center of the park. Recently the park has begun a redesign to become a part of the Sustainable Sites Initiative pilot project. This will include the addition of a demonstration garden for homeowners that will have a focus on creating self sustainable self-sustaining gardens.

Bartholdi Fountain

The centerpiece of the park, the Bartholdi fountain, was originally purchased by the United States government for $6,000 in 1877. Previously, the fountain had stood at

Fairmount Park Fairmount Park is the largest municipal park in Philadelphia and the historic name for a group of parks located throughout the city. Fairmount Park consists of two park sections named East Park and West Park, divided by the Schuylkill River, with ...

during the 1876 Centennial Exposition in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. After its purchase, it was placed at the base of Capitol Hill until 1926. Following six years in storage after being removed from Capitol Hill, the fountain was moved to its current location in Bartholdi Park in 1932. In 2008 the fountain was temporarily removed from the park by the Architect of the Capitol for a complete restoration to repair deterioration of the cast iron and bronze coating, add modern pumps and motors, and install a new water treatment and filtration system. The fountain was returned to the park in spring of 2011. The fountain is 30 feet tall and weighs 15 tons and features three 11 feet tall nymphs holding the upper basin. Other decorations include turtles, cherubs, frogs, fish, as well as twelve electric lamps.

Flora

A partial listing of the currently showcased plants at the park includes: * '' Echinacea paradoxa'' Yellow coneflower * ''

Gelsemium sempervirens ''Gelsemium sempervirens'' is a twining vine in the family Gelsemiaceae, native to subtropical and tropical America: Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, Mexico (Chiapas, Oaxaca, Veracruz, Puebla, Hidalgo),Paeonia obovata ''Paeonia obovata'' is a perennial herbaceous species of peony growing 30–70 cm high. It has white, pink or purple-red flowers and its lower leaves consist of no more than nine leaflets or segments. In English it is sometimes called wood ...

'' Japanese woodland peony * ''

Loropetalum chinense ''Loropetalum chinense'' is commonly known as loropetalum,"Floridata Pl ...

'' 'Red Form' fringe flower * '' Bergenia cordifolia'' Pigsqueak plant * '' Helleborus x hybridus'' Lenten rose * '' Hamamelis x intermedia'' 'Barmstedt Gold' Witchhazel * ''

Hydrangea quercifolia ''Hydrangea quercifolia'', commonly known as oakleaf hydrangea or oak-leaved hydrangea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Hydrangeaceae. It is native plant, native to the southeastern United States, in woodland habitats from North C ...

'' Alice oakleaf hydrangea * '' Yucca treculeana'' Spanish dagger * ''

Anemone ''Anemone'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. Plants of the genus are commonly called windflowers. They are native to the temperate and subtropical regions of all continents except Australia, New Zealand an ...

'' 'Honorine Jobert' Japanese Anemone * '' Asclepias curassavica'' 'Silky Gold' Gold Butterfly Weed

References

External links

* *http://www.aviewoncities.com/washington/bartholdipark.htm *http://www.aoc.gov/capitol-buildings/bartholdi-park-and-fountain *http://www.usbg.gov/bartholdi-park *https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Bartholdi_Park {{Authority control Parks in Washington, D.C. Urban public parks Capitol Hill Southwest Federal Center