Robert A. Taft Memorial




More photographs at the Wikimedia Commons category.
Robert A. Taft Memorial is a historic site, at a modelled elevation of 11 m. Gantt Hill stands 156 m to the west, 12 miles off. The nearest named place is Robert A. Taft, a artwork less than a tenth of a mile away. George Washington Memorial Parkway passes 2.2 miles off. 32 named summits stand within 25 miles.
The story
The Robert A. Taft Memorial and Carillon is a carillon in Washington, D.C. dedicated as a memorial to U.S. Senator Robert Alphonso Taft, son of President William Howard Taft. The memorial is located north of the Capitol, on Constitution Avenue between New Jersey Avenue and First Street, N.W. Designed by architect Douglas W. Orr, the memorial consists of a Tennessee marble tower and a 10-foot (3.0 m) bronze statue of Senator Taft sculpted by Wheeler Williams. The shaft of the tower measures 100 feet (30 m) high, 11 feet (3.4 m) deep, and 32 feet (9.8 m) wide. Above the statue is inscribed, "This Memorial to Robert A. Taft, presented by the people to the Congress of the United States, stands as a tribute to the honesty, indomitable courage, and high principles of free government symbolized by his life." The base of the memorial measures 55 by 45 feet (14 m) and stands approximately 15 feet (4.6 m) high. Jets of water flow into a basin that rings the base. The twenty-seven bells in the upper part of the tower were cast in the Paccard Foundry in Annecy-le-Vieux, France. The largest, or bourdon bell, weighs 7 tons (6350 kg). At the dedication ceremony on April 14, 1959, former President Herbert Hoover stated, "When these great bells ring out, it will be a summons to integrity and courage." The large central bell strikes on the hour, while the smaller fixed bells chime on the quarter-hour. By resolution of Congress, they play "The Star-Spangled Banner" at 2 p.m. on the Fourth of July. Construction of the memorial was authorized by S.Con.Res. 44, which was passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives in July 1955. It was funded by popular subscription from every state in the nation. More than a million dollars were collected.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Dates from 1958.
Wikidata Q7341304, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
How to reach it
- 2.2 mi off the George Washington Memorial Parkway, National
- 3.9 mi off the Booth's Escape
- 4.3 mi off the Star-Spangled Banner Byway
- 8.3 mi off the Old Georgetown Pike
Overlooks nearby
Named places within 25 miles
- Robert A. Taft: 0.0 mi
- Acacia Griffins: 0.1 mi
- Golden Cranes: 0.1 mi
- Statue of Freedom: 0.2 mi
- Sir William Blackstone Statue: 0.3 mi
- Upper Senate Park: 0.1 mi
- Senate Park: 0.1 mi
- Lower Senate Park: 0.1 mi
- Union Square: 0.3 mi
- John Marshall Place Park: 0.3 mi
- Japanese American Memorial: 0.1 mi
- Peace Monument: 0.2 mi
- Ulysses S. Grant Statue: 0.2 mi
- James A. Garfield Monument: 0.3 mi
- Trylon of Freedom: 0.3 mi
- United States Capitol: 0.2 mi
- Emancipation Hall: 0.3 mi
- Washington Union Station: 0.4 mi
- Smithsonian National Carousel: 0.8 mi
- Almas Temple: 1.3 mi
- East Wing National Gallery of Art: 0.3 mi
- Capital Jewish Museum: 0.4 mi
- National Guard Memorial Museum: 0.4 mi
- Sewall-Belmont House and Museum: 0.4 mi
- National Postal Museum: 0.4 mi
- East Gallery: 0.3 mi
- Garden Court: 0.3 mi
- Plant Adaptations: 0.3 mi
- West Gallery: 0.3 mi
- Garden Primeval: 0.3 mi
- Picnic site for Rose park: 2.6 mi
- Picnic Grove 29: 3.4 mi
- Picnic Grove 1: 3.9 mi
- Picnic Grove 2 South: 4.0 mi
- Picnic Grove 2 South: 4.1 mi
- Roaches Run Waterfowl Sanctuary: 2.7 mi
- Alger Park: 3.1 mi
- Fort Mahan Park: 3.6 mi
- Fort Chaplin Park: 3.7 mi
- Fort Bennet Park and Palisades Trail: 3.7 mi
- Peters Hill: 2.2 mi
- Mount Hamilton: 2.2 mi
- Round Hill: 2.6 mi
- Jackson Hill: 2.9 mi
- Good Hope Hill: 3.1 mi
- Takoma Spring: 5.6 mi
- Silver Spring: 6.8 mi
- Clean Drinking Manor Spring: 7.9 mi
- Indian Springs: 9.7 mi
- Sandy Spring: 17.1 mi
- Rosier Bluff: 8.3 mi
- Indian Queen Bluff: 9.6 mi
- Indian Head: 21.8 mi
- Quartz Rock Outcropping: 22.6 mi
- Quartz Rock Outcropping: 22.6 mi
- Fishing Shore: 4.8 mi
- Lake Barcroft Beach: 8.0 mi
- Purplehorse Beach: 13.7 mi
- Sycamore Beach: 13.8 mi
- Stubblefield Falls: 11.2 mi
- Scott's Run Falls: 11.5 mi
- Great Falls: 14.9 mi
- Coe Creek: 22.2 mi
- Wilson: 23.3 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 25 miles of Robert A. Taft Memorial. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gantt Hill | W 281° | 156 m | 12.1 mi |
| Hunting Hill | NW 323° | 156 m | 16.6 mi |
| Mount Daniel | W 272° | 144 m | 9.2 mi |
| Minor's Hill | W 275° | 140 m | 8.0 mi |
| Freedom Hill | W 280° | 140 m | 12.7 mi |
| Prout Hill | W 265° | 137 m | 9.8 mi |
| Upton Hill | W 260° | 125 m | 7.4 mi |
| Point Reno | NW 319° | 123 m | 5.4 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:12 | 18:45 | 19:20 |
| June solstice | 05:44 | 19:58 | 20:37 |
| September equinox | 06:56 | 18:32 | 19:07 |
| December solstice | 07:24 | 16:08 | 16:50 |
Local time (America/New_York).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Apr–Jun, Aug–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 36 | 39 | 46 | 57 | 67 | 76 | 80 | 79 | 72 | 59 | 49 | 41 |
| Precip in | 3.0 | 2.8 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 3.2 | 3.7 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Natl Arboretum DC, 3 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOpenStreetMap element way/66418763
Day trips start here
Take the scenic way to Robert A. Taft Memorial.
Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.