Al Hayne - Fort Worth, Texas
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txoilgas
N 32° 44.779 W 097° 19.579
14S E 656803 N 3624403
A bronze bust of Alfred S. Hayne set within an elaborate carved sandstone cupola supported by polished red granite columns. Hayne has a moustache and wears a suit and tie. The front of the cupola has a relief decoration depicting the head and wings of an angel. The lower portion of the base has a relief depicting the Texas Spring Palace, an exhibition hall that stood at this location from 1889 until it burned in 1890. The base of the monument has a tiered fountain structurewith a circular basin.
Waymark Code: WM7H9Z
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 10/26/2009
Views: 11
The monument honors Alfred S. Hayne (1849-1890), an English national, who died from injuries sustained while rescuing a woman from a fire at the Texas Spring Palace on May 30, 1890. The monument was created by Lloyd Brown in 1893; the original marble bust of Al Hayne was replaced in 1934 with a bronze bust by Evaline Sellors. The monument was dedicated in honor of Al Hayne by the Women's Humane Association and was placed on the site of the destroyed Texas Spring Palace, which was never rebuilt following the 1890 fire that destroyed it. The monument was moved a few yards when a nearby street was widened. For related information see Tarrant County Historical Society's "Fort Worth and Tarrant County - A Historical Guide," Fort Worth, 1983.
An Official Texas Historical marker which is missing reads:
TEXAS SPRING PALACE
FOLLOWING A SUGGESTION BY GENERAL R.A.CAMERON,
AN OFFICER OF THE FORT WORTH & DENVER RAILWAY,
CITY PROMOTERS DEVELOPED THE IDEA OF AN ANNUAL EXHIBITION
FOR THE DISPLAY OF TEXAS AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS.
IN 1889 THEY CONSTRUCTED THE TEXAS SPRING PALACE
NEAR THIS SITE TO HOUSE THE EXHIBITS, DESIGNED BY THE
FORT WORTH FIRM OF ARMSTRONG AND MESSER, IT WAS A
TWO-STORY WOODEN STRUCTURE FEATURING INFLUENCES
OF ORIENTAL AND MOORISH STYLES. WOMEN'S GROUPS ADDED
ORNAMENTATION USING FLOWERS, SEEDS, AND GRASSES.
ON THE EVENING OF MAY 30, 1890, DURING THE SECOND
SEASON OF THE EXHIBITION, A FIRE SWEPT THROUGH THE
SPRING PALACE, COMPLETELY DESTROYING THE STRUCTURE.
A NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO CROWDED THE BUILDING AT
THE TIME HAD TO LEAP FROM THE SECOND FLOOR TO ESCAPE
THE FLAMES. ALFRED S. HAYNE (b.1849), A NATIVE OF ENGLAND,
RETURNED TO THE BURNING PALACE TO HELP OTHERS WHO
WERE STILL TRAPPED INSIDE. THE ONLY FATALITY OF THE
FIRE, HE DIED THE NEXT DAY OF BURNS SUFFERED IN THE
RESCUE EFFORT. IN 1893 THE WOMEN'S HUMANE ASSOCIATION
DEDICATED A MONUMENT NEAR THIS SITE IN MEMORY OF
HIS HEROISM AND COURAGE.
EFFORTS TO REBUILD THE TEXAS SPRING PALACE FAILED
BECAUSE OF ECONOMIC PROBLEMS IN THE PANIC OF 1893.
(1980)
Inscription:
(On front of monument, incised letters:) IN HONOR/OF THE HERO OF THE SPRING PALACE FIRE/AL HAYNE/WHO, UNSELFISH AS BRAVE,/DIED THAT OTHERS MIGHT LIVE.
(On one side of monument, incised letters:) Most noble is that fame which rests upon/Heroic deeds of love and sacrifice.
(On monument, incised letters:) MEMORIAL FOUNTAIN/ERECTED BY THE PUBLIC UNDER THE AUS/PICES OF THE WOMANS HUMANE ASSOCIATION/1893.
(On monument, incised letters:) ALFRED S. HAYNE/AUG. 1, 1849 -- MAY 31 1890./LONDON ENGLAND. FORT WORTH TEXAS.
TITLE: Al Hayne
ARTIST(S): Sellors, Evaline, 1907- , Brown, Lloyd, sculptor.
DATE: 1893. Bronze replacement bust 1934.
MEDIUM: Bust: bronze; Base: sandstone, red granite, and concrete.
CONTROL NUMBER: IAS TX000752
Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link]
PHYSICAL LOCATION:
South of the interxection of
Houston Street & Lancaster Avenue
Fort Worth, Texas
DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH:
Needs care but not urgent.
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