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Identification:
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Preferred Structure Name:
| Rock Creek Park; Jules J. Jusserand Memorial Bench
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Structure Number:
| 339-11
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Other Structure Name(s):
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Other Structure Name(s)
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| No records. |
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Park:
| Rock Creek Park
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Historic District:
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Historic District
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1.
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Rock Creek Park Historic District
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Structure State:
| District of Columbia
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Structure County:
| Washington
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Region:
| National Capital
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Administrative Unit:
| Rock Creek Park
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LCS ID:
| 006452
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Historical Significance:
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National Register Status:
| Entered - Documented
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National Register Date:
| 10/23/1991
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National Historic Landmark?:
| No
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Significance Level:
| Contributing
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Short Significance Description:
| Rock Creek Park is a natural reserve within a heavily urbanized area. It encompasses public reservation 339 which was created for the scenic and recreational enjoyment of the people of the United States on September 27, 1890. Memorial honors Jules Jusserand (1885-1932), ambassador from France.
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Long Significance Description:
| Rock Creek Park is a natural reserve within a heavily urbanized area. It encompasses public reservation 339 which was created for the scenic and recreational enjoyment of the people of the United States on September 27, 1890. Today the park is one of the nation's capital's greatest assets. The core of RCP is the creek and its picturesque gorge-like scenery.
The memorial was erected to honor Jules Jusserand (1885-1932), ambassador from France and close friend of President Theodore Roosevelt. The spot on which the bench was placed was frequented by Jusserand. Erected by the Jusserand Memorial Committee at cost of $5,461 under an Act of Congress approved June 17, 1935 (49 Stat. 386) without expense to the United States. It is the first memorial erected on Federal property to a foreign diplomat. Dedicated November 7, 1936.
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Construction Period:
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Construction Period:
| Historic
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Chronology:
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Physical Event
| Begin Year
| Begin Year AD/BC
| End Year
| End Year AD/BC
| Designer
| Designer Occupation
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1.
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Built
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1936
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AD
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Freedlander, Joseph H.
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Architect
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Function and Use:
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Primary Historic Function:
| Monument (Marker, Plaque)
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Primary Current Use:
| Monument (Marker, Plaque)
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Other Functions or Uses:
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Other Function(s) or Use(s)
| Historic or Current
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1.
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Outdoor Sculpture (Statuary)
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Current
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2.
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Outdoor Sculpture (Statuary)
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Historic
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Physical Description:
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Structure Type:
| Grounds/Landscape
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Material(s):
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Structural Component(s)
| Material(s)
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1.
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Substructure
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Granite
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Short Physical Description:
| Art deco style 10' long semi-circular bench. Incorporates low relief, carved scrolled ends. 4' high, resting on a 22' long stepped platform consisting of 4 steps. Located on east side Beach Dr, just S of Hazen Bridge.
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Long Physical Description:
| The Jusserand Memorial is located approximately one-quarter of a mile south of the Pierce Mill complex and is sited on a gentle sloping hill approximately twenty five feet east of Beach Drive. The memorial bench is carved out of Milford Pink granite in the form of an exedra and incorporates low relief carvings of wings at its ends. The elliptical bench is approximately 22 feet long and 4 feet high and rests on a stepped granite platform. On the backrest of the bench is inscribed: JUSSERAND, PERSONAL TRIBUTE OF ESTEEM AND AFFECTION, 1855-1932.
While the bench is not physically accessible from any trail, a wayside sign along the bike trail on the west side of Beach Drive, directly across from the bench, shares information about Jusserand and Roosevelt.
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