Navy Yard Urns

Navy Yard Urn

NPS / Claire Hassler

Quick Facts

Location:

Washington, DC

Amenities

1 listed

Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits

These five-foot high, four-foot wide ornamental bronze urns were cast here in Washington at the Navy Yard using melted cannon from the Civil War. The Ordinance Department of the U.S. Navy crafted them, and they were erected in Lafayette Park in 1872. They were presented by Secretary of the Navy George Robeson. The urns were included in the 1852 plans for the park by renowned landscape architect Andrew Jackson Downing. Originally these urns were placed on granite pedestals and located in the center of two flower beds east and west of the Jackson statue. In 1936, the urns were relocated within the park at the center of Jackson Place and Madison Place, and relocated to their present location in 1969.