Gargoyles @ the Washington Memorial Chapel - Valley Forge, PA
N 40° 06.274 W 075° 26.270
18T E 462683 N 4439455
Authentic medieval gargoyles adorn the top of the Washington Memorial Chapel @ Valley Forge Military Park.
Waymark Code: WMGXJ0
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 04/20/2013
Views: 5
I found about 7 of these gargoyles, all different and all acting as downspouts from the roof. They are high up in the air and I think they are made out of sandstone. The chapel & gargoyles were designed by Milton B. Medary (1874 – 1929) ( who was selected by the University of Pennsylvania in a competition for that purpose) was an American architect from Philadelphia, practicing in the firm Zantzinger, Borie and Medary from 1910 until his death.The firm is best known for the Washington Memorial Chapel at Valley Forge National Historical Park, the 1927 Fidelity Mutual Life Building in Philadelphia, and the 1929 neo-Gothic Bok Singing Towers in Florida. Medary received the AIA Gold Medal in 1929. (Wikipedia)
The chapel was built as a tribute to George Washington and the American Patriots of the Revolution. The inspiration for the chapel resulted from a sermon preached by the founder and first rector, the Reverend Dr. W. Herbert Burk, the Rector of All Saints' Episcopal Church, Norristown, Pennsylvania. The cornerstone for the chapel, was laid in June 1903.