Title supplied by cataloger. Former Mayor Cristobal Aguilar signed Pershing Square into being in 1866. At the time, Pershing Square was called La Plaza Abaja ("The Lower Plaza"). However, it was renamed Pershing Square in 1918 in honor of General John J. Pershing. The park was first renovated in 1911; in the 1950s a car garage was built beneath it; and in 1994, it was completely redesigned by architect Ricardo Legoretta and landscapist Laurie Olin and was rededicated on February 3, 1994. Pershing Square takes up the entire block and is bounded by 5th Street to the north, 6th Street to the south, Hill Street to the east, and Olive Street to the west. Several buildings can be seen in the surrounding area. View of the memorial dedicated to the Seventh California Volunteer Infantry in the war with Spain, located on the northwest corner of Pershing Square. It shows a soldier wearing a uniform and hat, a cartridge belt, canteen, and haversack; on the left side there is a bayonet holder which hangs from the belt, and he holds the muzzle of his rifle. The architectural firm of Eisen & Hunt designed the monument, which was fashioned from a piece of California's granite; the pedestal was originally 14-feet tall and the total weight of the monument was 15,000 pounds. The top of the pedestal has a block inscribed with "Seventh California Infantry U.S.V." and "In Everlasting Rememberance" is inscribed just below that. A cornice inscribed with the names of the twenty people who died can be seen directly below, and "Our Dead. They lie in scattered graves, the silent heroes of our batallion" follows underneath. At the very bottom block, just above the foundation, "War With Spain A.S. 1898". In 1990, this monument, the oldest work of public art in Los Angeles, was recognized as Cultural-Heritage Monument No. 480 by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission.
Type
Image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w ;26 x 21 cm. Photographic prints
Monuments--California--Los Angeles Statues--California--Los Angeles Parks--California--Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (Los Angeles, Calif.) Pershing Square (Los Angeles, Calif.) Eisen & Hunt
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