• Date: 1932 copy of a 1789 original
  • Sculptor: Jean-Antoine Houdon.
  • Architect: Stanford White
  • Medium & size: Bronze bust
  • Location: Hall of Fame, Bronx Community College, 2155 University Avenue, Bronx.

Lafayette in the Bronx

When he arrived in the United States in 1824, the Marquis de Lafayette (1757-1834) was the last surviving general from the Revolutionary War. He was given a hero’s welcome as he toured all 24 states.

The Hall of Fame, completed in 1900, was originally part of New York University’s University Heights campus. In the financial difficulties of the 1970s, NYU sold the campus to the City University of New York, which moved its Bronx Community College to the site.

Further reading

  • For more on Lafayette, see the essay on the Bartholdi sculpture in Union Square in Outdoor Monuments of Manhattan and this essay from my Hamilton-musical-related posts.
  • For more on the Hall of Fame, see here.
  • A favorite Lafayette quote: “If the liberties of the American people are ever destroyed, they will fall by the hands of the clergy.”
  • And another: “There are natural and imprescriptible rights which an entire nation has no right to violate.”

More

  • In Getting More Enjoyment from Sculpture You Love, I demonstrate a method for looking at sculptures in detail, in depth, and on your own. Learn to enjoy your favorite sculptures more, and find new favorites. Available on Amazon in print and Kindle formats. More here.
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