L. Mendel Rivers Memorial - Charleston, SC - Smithsonian Art Inventory Sculptures on Waymarking.com

Inscription: (Incised on base, left:) SOUTH CAROLINIAN/BORN IN/BERKELEY COUNTY/SEPTEMBER 28, 1905/DIED AT BIRMINGHAM/ALABAMA/DECEMBER 26, 1970/HE SPOKE FOR/HIS NEIGHBORS/AND STROVE TO KEEP/HIS COUNTRY/STRONG (Incised on base, right:) STATESMAN AND PATRIOT/SC HOUSE OF/REPRESENTATIVES/(dates served given)/U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES/(dates served given)/CHAIRMAN/HOUSE ARMED SERVICES/COMMITTEE/1965-1970

Description: A bust of L. Mendel Rivers on a pedestal which is the center of a triptych-like wall. The inscriptions appear on the walls on each side of the bust.

Remarks: Commissioned by the County in memory of South Carolina and United States Congressman Lucius Mendel Rivers (1905-1970). The original design concept, a collaborative effort of sculptor Willard Hirsch, architect Albert Simons and landscape architect Loutrel Briggs, was very different from the finished work. Originally, the wall was to be more ornate with urns at the top, classical decorative motifs and numerous plantings. The final result was a plainer design that emphasized the bust. IAS files include a related article from "Carologue," a publication of the South Carolina Historical Society, Spring 1993.

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TITLE: L. Mendel Rivers Memorial ARTIST(S): Hirsch, Willard Newman DATE: 1973 MEDIUM: bronze, granite CONTROL NUMBER: IAS SC000208 Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link] PHYSICAL LOCATION: County Courthouse, Corner of Broad & Meeting Streets, courtyard, Charleston, South Carolina DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH: none noted

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Date Logged Log   06/20/2010 ChapterhouseInc visited it