Pedimental sculptures in the United States

Women's Building Pediment (1893, destroyed), World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago, Illinois, by Alice Rideout

Pedimental sculptures in the United States – sculptures within the frame of a pediment on the exterior of a building. Pedimental sculptures pose special challenges to sculptors: the triangular composition limits the choices for figures or ornament at the ends, and the sculpture must be designed to be viewed both from below and from a distance.

History

Pedimental sculptures in the United States were rare prior to the 1880s, most surviving examples in cities along the east coast. The earliest seems to be Whitehall (1765), outside Annapolis, Maryland, attributed to English architect Joseph Horatio Anderson and English-born carver William Buckland. Greek Revival architecture was dominant throughout the first half of the 19th century, but almost always with chaste, blank pediments. It was only post-Civil War, with the advent of the American Renaissance and the City Beautiful movement – especially the architectural vision of "The White City" presented at Chicago's World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 – that the use of sculpture in pediments increased dramatically. The advent of the Great Depression of the 1930s largely brought the use of pediment sculpture to a halt, with the exception of federal government buildings in Washington, D.C.

Compositionally, the restrictions imposed by both the physical triangular shape of a pediment, and the traditional themes that are usually employed for the subject matter, are, according to Professor Gardner of Oxford University, “as exactly regulated as that of a sonnet or a Spencerian stanza:the artist has liberty only in certain directions and must not violate the laws of rhythm.”^[1]

As with the ancient Greeks, and the Roman architects and sculptors who followed them, American artists had two different structural approaches creating pedimental sculpture. They are either freestanding statues that stand on the bed (the ledge or cornice that creates the bottom of the pediment), or they can be relief sculpture, attached to the back wall of the pediment.^[2]

Lists of pedimental sculptures

Pedimental sculptures in Washington, D.C. (by building)

Building	Location	Image	Sculpture	Sculptor	Architect	Installed	Medium	Notes
William Jefferson Clinton Federal Building (formerly Ariel Rios Federal Building and Post Office Department Building)	12th Street & Pennsylvania Avenue 38°53′38.04″N 77°1′44.04″W / 38.8939000°N 77.0289000°W / 38.8939000; -77.0289000 (William Jefferson Clinton Federal Building)		12th Street: The Spirit of Progress and Civilization[3]	Adolph Alexander Weinman John Donnelly (carver)	Delano & Aldrich	1935	limestone	Weinman's concave sculptured pediment may be unique in the United States.
		(at upper right)	Pennsylvania Avenue: The Bond of Postal Union[4]	Walker Hancock Adolph Alexander Weinman		1935	limestone	Based on a sketch model by Weinman[5]
		(at upper right)	13th Street: Africa and Europe[6]	George H. Snowden Adolph Alexander Weinman John Donnelly (carver)		1934	limestone
			13th Street: America and Asia[7]	Joseph E. Reiner Adolph Alexander Weinman John Donnelly (carver)		1934	limestone
Daughters of the American Revolution Constitution Hall	18th Street, between C & D Streets 38°53′35″N 77°2′30″W / 38.89306°N 77.04167°W / 38.89306; -77.04167 (DAR Constitution Hall)		Eagle Pediment[8]	Ulysses Ricci	John Russell Pope	1929	Alabama limestone
Dirksen Senate Office Building	Constitution Avenue & 1st Street 38°53′35″N 77°0′19″W / 38.89306°N 77.00528°W / 38.89306; -77.00528 (Dirksen Senate Office Building)		Eagle Pediment[9]	Ulysses Ricci Rochette & Parzini (carvers)	Eggers Group Architects	1956	marble
Historical Society of Washington, D.C. (formerly the central District of Columbia Public Library)	Eighth & K Streets Northwest		two identical pediments, each with a head of Minerva surrounded by curled flora	Philip Martiny	Ross & Ackerman[10]	1903	white Vermont marble
Eisenhower Executive Office Building (formerly Old Executive Office Building and State, War, and Navy Building)	1700 Pennsylvania Avenue 38°53′51.24″N 77°2′20.93″W / 38.8975667°N 77.0391472°W / 38.8975667; -77.0391472 (Eisenhower Executive Office Building)		North pediment: War[11]	designed by Richard von Ezdorf	Alfred B. Mullett	1884	painted iron
Herbert C. Hoover Building United States Department of Commerce	1401 Constitution Avenue NW 38°53′39.48″N 77°1′58.08″W / 38.8943000°N 77.0328000°W / 38.8943000; -77.0328000 (Herbert C. Hoover Building)		Fisheries Pediment[12]	Joseph Kiselewski James Earle Fraser John Donnelly (carver)	Louis Ayres	1934	limestone	The building's 4 sculptured pediments are on the 15th Street facade, facing The Ellipse.
			Mining Pediment[13]	Frederick Roth James Earle Fraser John Donnelly (carver)		1934	limestone
			Foreign and Domestic Commerce Pediment[14]	Ulysses Ricci James Earle Fraser John Donnelly (carver)		1934	limestone
			Aeronautics Pediment[15]	Haig Patigian James Earle Fraser John Donnelly (carver)		1934	limestone
Jefferson Memorial	Tidal Basin 38°52′53″N 77°2′13″W / 38.88139°N 77.03694°W / 38.88139; -77.03694 (Jefferson Memorial)		Drafting the Declaration of Independence[16]	Adolph Alexander Weinman	John Russell Pope	1943	marble
Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building[17]	950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW |38°53′35.52″N 77°1′30″W / 38.8932000°N 77.02500°W / 38.8932000; -77.02500 (Robt. F. Kennedy Dept. of Justice Bldg)		Eastern pediment: Ars Aequi (The Rights of Man)	C. Paul Jennewein Henry Kreis John Donnelly (carver)	Milton Bennett Medary Zantzinger, Borie & Medary	1935	limestone	The two sculptured pediments are on the Pennsylvania Avenue facade. The building's other pediments are blank.
			Western pediment: Ars Boni (The Good of the State)	C. Paul Jennewein Henry Kreis John Donnelly (carver)		1935	limestone
Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building	Capitol Hill 38°53′19″N 77°00′17″W / 38.8887°N 77.0046°W / 38.8887; -77.0046 (Library of Congress)		America Fostering the Arts and Industries and Atlantes[18]	William Boyd	Edward Pearce Casey Smithmeyer & Pelz	1897	granite	The two rounded pediments flank the central pavilion of the Jefferson Building's west front.
Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium / United States Department of Labor Building	1301 Constitution Avenue NW 38°53′33.4″N 77°1′46.91″W / 38.892611°N 77.0296972°W / 38.892611; -77.0296972 (Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium)		Columbia Pediment[19]	Edgar Walter Edward Ardolino (carver)	Arthur Brown, Jr.	1935	limestone	The Mellon Auditorium is middle-ground center; the U.S. Customs Building is left; the U.S. Interstate Commerce Commission is right:
National Academy of Sciences Building	2101 Constitution Avenue NW 38°53′34.8″N 77°2′51.72″W / 38.893000°N 77.0477000°W / 38.893000; -77.0477000 (National Academy of Sciences Building)		Constitution Avenue entrance	Lee Lawrie	Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue	1924
National Archives Building[20]	700 Pennsylvania Avenue 38°53′34″N 77°01′23″W / 38.89278°N 77.02306°W / 38.89278; -77.02306 (National Archives Building)		North pediment: The Recorder of the Archives[21]	James Earle Fraser Edward H. Ratti (carver)	John Russell Pope	1935	Limestone
			South pediment: Destiny[22]	Adolph Alexander Weinman Edward H. Ratti (carver)		1935	Indiana limestone Milford pink granite
Notre Dame Chapel	Trinity Washington University, 125 Michigan Avenue, NE		Madonna and Child Enthroned Attended by Angels	D. H. McBride McBride Studios	Maginnis & Walsh	1924	white Carrara marble
Rayburn House Office Building	Independence Avenue, between South Capitol & 1st Streets		Eagle Pediment[23][24]	Carl Paul Jennewein	Harbeson, Hough, Livingston & Larson	1964	Vermont marble
Renwick Gallery	1661 Pennsylvania Avenue 38°53′55.92″N 77°2′22.01″W / 38.8988667°N 77.0394472°W / 38.8988667; -77.0394472 (Renwick Gallery)		Relief portrait bust of William Wilson Corcoran[25]	Moses Jacob Ezekiel	James Renwick Jr.	1878	bronze	Original home of the Corcoran Gallery of Art:
Riggs National Bank	1503-05 Pennsylvania Avenue 38°53′55.52″N 77°2′2.84″W / 38.8987556°N 77.0341222°W / 38.8987556; -77.0341222 (Riggs National Bank)		Eagle pediment		York and Sawyer	1902		In a 1915 photograph:
United States Capitol	Capitol Hill 38°53′23.29″N 77°00′32.81″W / 38.8898028°N 77.0091139°W / 38.8898028; -77.0091139 (U.S. Capitol)		Central portico, east front: The Genius of America[26][27]	Luigi Persico[27]	Thomas Ustick Walter	1828	sandstone (1828) marble (1960)	By 1959 the original sandstone sculpture group was badly deteriorated. Under the supervision of Paul Manship, sculptor Carl Schmitz repaired the statues, G. Giannetti made a plaster model from them, and Bruno Mankowski carved new statues. These were unveiled in 1960.[27]
			Senate wing, east front: The Progress of Civilization[28][29]	Thomas Crawford Carvers: T. Gagliardi, Vinchenzo Casoni, G. Butti, Louis Galli, G. Caprero, and Domenico Giampaoli[29]		1863	marble
			House of Representatives wing, east front: Apotheosis of Democracy[30]	Paul Wayland Bartlett Piccirilli Brothers (carvers)		1916	marble
United States Customs Building / United States Department of Labor	14th Street & Constitution Avenue NW 38°53′33″N 77°01′51″W / 38.892513°N 77.030930°W / 38.892513; -77.030930 (U.S. Customs Bldg / U.S. Dept. of Labor)		Eastern pediment: Labor and Industry[31]	Albert Stewart John Donnelly (carver)	Arthur Brown, Jr.	1935	limestone
			Western pediment: Abundance and Industry[32]	Sherry Fry John Donnelly (carver)		1936	limestone
United States Department of Agriculture Building	Jefferson Drive between 12th & 14th Streets 38°53′16.85″N 77°1′48.12″W / 38.8880139°N 77.0300333°W / 38.8880139; -77.0300333 (U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Building)		Fruit[33]	Adolph Alexander Weinman	Rankin, Kellogg & Crane	1908	Vermont marble	The West and East Buildings (left & right) were completed in 1908. The Administration Building (center), connecting them, was completed in 1930.
			Flowers[34]	Adolph Alexander Weinman		1908	Vermont marble
			Cereals[35]	Adolph Alexander Weinman		1908	Vermont marble	West Building:
			Forestry[36]	Adolph Alexander Weinman		1908	Vermont marble
United States Interstate Commerce Commission Building (now United States Environmental Protection Agency Building)	1201 Constitution Avenue 38°53′38″N 77°01′44″W / 38.893881°N 77.028891°W / 38.893881; -77.028891 (U.S. Interstate Commerce Commission Building)		Eastern pediment: Interstate Transportation[37]	Edward McCartan John Donnelly (carver)	Arthur Brown, Jr.	1935	Indiana limestone
			Western pediment: Commerce and Communications[38]	Wheeler Williams John Donnelly (carver)		1935	Indiana limestone
United States Supreme Court Building	Capitol Hill 38°53′25.8″N 77°0′16.2″W / 38.890500°N 77.004500°W / 38.890500; -77.004500 (U.S. Supreme Court Building)		West pediment: Equal Justice Under Law[39][40] (Liberty Enthroned)	Robert Ingersoll Aitken	Cass Gilbert	1935	Vermont marble
			East pediment: Justice, the Guardian of Liberty[41][42]	Hermon Atkins MacNeil		1935	Vermont marble

Pedimental sculptures (by state, city & building)

Building	Location	Image	Sculpture	Sculptor	Architect	Installed	Medium	Notes
Calhoun County Courthouse	Alabama 25 West 11th Street, Anniston		Eagle pediment		J. W. Golucke	1900 burned 1931		a flying eagle flanked by fasces and cornacopias
Santa Cruz County Courthouse[43]	Arizona Morley Avenue & Court Street, Nogales				Trost & Rust	1904		Now a museum.
Inyo County Courthouse	California Independence 36°48′13″N 118°11′56″W / 36.80361°N 118.19889°W / 36.80361; -118.19889 (Inyo County Courthouse)				William H. Weeks?	1921-22?		"Reposed women" hold a shield that is presumed to represent Justice.[44]:5
California State Capitol	California Sacramento		West portico: California[45]	Pietro Mezzara	M. Frank Butler Reuben Clark Gordon Cummings	1873	cast stone
California State Library	California 10th Street & Capitol Mall, Sacramento		Into the Highlands of the Mind Let Me Go[46]	Edward Field Sanford, Jr.	Weeks and Day	1928	painted terra cotta
California State Office Building (now Jesse M. Unruh State Office Building)	California 915 Capitol Mall, Sacramento		Bring Me Men to Match My Mountains[47]	Edward Field Sanford, Jr.	Weeks and Day	1928	painted terra cotta
Sacramento City Hall	California 915 I Street, Sacramento		Rounded pediments on end pavilions		Rudolph A. Herold	1909	terra cotta
California State Chamber of Commerce Building San Francisco Mining Exchange	California 350 Bush Street, San Francisco		Greek Pediment[48]	Jo Mora	Miller & Pflueger	1921	terra cotta
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Building[49] (now Ritz Carlton San Francisco)	California Nob Hill, 600 Stockton Street, San Francisco		An Allegorical Group[50]	Haig Patigian Jo Mora	Miller & Pflueger	1920	glazed terra cotta	Napoleon LeBrun & Sons designed the original building, 1909. The pediment was added as part of Miller & Pflueger's 1919-20 expansion.[51]
San Francisco City Hall	California 400 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco		Van Ness Avenue pediment[52]	Henri Crenier	Bakewell & Brown	1914	granite
			Polk Street pediment[52]
San Francisco Savings Union Bank (now Emporio Armani)	California 1 Grant Avenue, San Francisco		Liberty[53]	Haig Patigian	Bliss & Faville	1911	granite	Patigian's bas relief head of Liberty was based on the 1907 $20 gold coin.
Hearst Castle San Simeon	California San Simeon		Neptune Pool Roman Temple: Neptune and Neraids[54]	pediment is a collection of unrelated Roman & Greek works.[55]	Julia Morgan	1936	white marble	The Roman Temple was assembled from ancient architectural fragments and modern reproductions.
Colorado State Capitol	Colorado 200 East Colfax Avenue, Denver		West pediment:		Elijah E. Myers	1894
Pueblo County Courthouse	Colorado 10th & Main Streets, Pueblo		Eagle and wreath		Albert Randolph Ross	1912	white sandstone
New Haven County Courthouse[56]	Connecticut 121 Elm Street, New Haven		The pediment figures are Justice, Victory, Precedence, Accuracy, Common Law, Statutory Law, Progress and Commerce.[57]	John Massey Rhind	Allen & Williams	1917	marble
Basilica of the Immaculate Conception	Connecticut 74 West Main Street, Waterbury		Virgin Mary flanked by angels		Maginnis & Walsh	1928
Georgia State Capitol	Georgia Capitol Square, Atlanta		West pediment: Seal of Georgia, flanked by Commerce, Industry, Justice, and Prosperity[58]	George Crouch[59]	Edbrooke & Burnham	1889	Oolitic limestone	The building's other pediments are blank.
Chatham Academy	Georgia Bull Street & East Oglethorpe Avenue, Savannah		pediment on western facade: a scene of several young women studying, with a background of the Coliseum and the Parthenon	unknown	Henry Urban	1908	stone
Boise High School	Idaho 1010 West Washington Street, Boise		Boise High School Portico[60]	Joseph Conradi	Tourtellotte & Hummel	1922		A relief head of Plato is at center.
Civic Opera Building	Illinois 20 North Wacker Drive, Chicago	North entrance	Pediments over north and south entrances	Henry Hering	Graham, Anderson, Probst & White	1929		South entrance Home of the Lyric Opera of Chicago
Kankakee County Courthouse	Illinois 450 East Court Street, Kankakee 41°7′9″N 87°51′37″W / 41.11917°N 87.86028°W / 41.11917; -87.86028 (Kankakee County Courthouse)				Zachary Taylor Davis	1912		Similar pediments above "KANKAKEE COUNTY COURTHOUSE" on north and south sides of courthouse include an escutcheon (coat of arms) representing the county.[61]
Allen County Courthouse	Indiana 715 South Calhoun Street, Fort Wayne 41°4′47″N 85°8′21″W / 41.07972°N 85.13917°W / 41.07972; -85.13917 (Allen County Courthouse)	Spirit of the Law	Calhoun Street pediment: Spirit of Civilization Main Street pediment: Spirit of Government Berry Street pediment: Spirit of the Law Court Street pediment: Spirit of the Arts	Barth & Staak?	Brentwood S. Tolan	1902	Bedford limestone
Circle Theater[62]	Indiana 45 Monument Circle, Indianapolis			Alexander Sangernebo	Rubush & Hunter	1916	terra cotta
Indiana State House	Indiana 200 West Washington Street, Indianapolis		East pediment:		Edwin May Adolph Scherrer	1888
Tippecanoe County Courthouse	Indiana Public Square, Lafayette		North and south pediments: William Henry Harrison - Marquis de Lafayette - Tecumseh East and west pediments: Justice - Industry - Agriculture[63]	J. L. Mott Iron Works	Elias Max and/or James F. Alexander	1884	painted zinc	Identical sculpture groups on the north and south pediments, and on the east and west pediments.
Boone County Courthouse	Indiana Courthouse Square, Lebanon		North & south pediments[64]		Joseph T. Hutton	1911	limestone	The building has identical sculptured pediments on the north and south facades.
Muncie Public Library	Indiana 301 East Jackson Street, Muncie				Marshall S. Mahurin	1903	Indiana limestone
Iowa State Capitol	Iowa Des Moines	East facade	East pediment: West pediment:		John C. Cochrane Alfred H. Piquenard	1886	sandstone	West facade:
Dubuque County Courthouse	Iowa 720 Central Avenue, Dubuque		West facade: Eagle pediment		Fridolin Heer & Son	1891		Painted zinc sculptures adorn the roof:
Macbride Hall	Iowa University of Iowa, 17 North Clinton Street, Iowa City		A buffalo stands flanked by two elk	Sinclair Shearer[65]	Proudfoot & Bird	1908
Greene County Courthouse	Iowa 114 North Chestnut Street, Jefferson				Proudfoot, Bird & Rawson	1918
First Newton National Bank	Iowa 100 N 2nd Avenue West, Newton		a central figure of agricultural plenty is surrounded by four other figures and farm scenes in low relief[66]		E. Jackson Case Company of Chicago[67]	1920
Kenton County Library	Kentucky 1028 Scott Street, Covington		pediment with four figures surrounding an angel	J.C. Meyerberg[68]	Boll & Taylor[69]	1904	sandstone	Built as a Carnegie library and auditorium The building is now The Carnegie, a community arts center.
Kentucky State Capitol	Kentucky Frankfort		North pediment[70]	Charles Henry Niehaus Peter A. Rossack (carver)	Frank Mills Andrews	1906	Oolitic limestone	The building's east, west and south pediments are blank.
Louisville City Hall	Kentucky 601 West Jefferson Street, Louisville		Progress[71]	unknown	John Andrew Artha	1873	Indiana limestone	The pedimental sculpture depicts a steam locomotive moving toward southern flora.
The Cabildo	Louisiana 701 Chartres Street, New Orleans			Pietro Cardelli	Gilberto Guillemard	1822		The 1795-99 building's pediment originally featured the Royal Arms of Spain, by sculptor Cristobal Le Prévost.[72][73] This was replaced in 1822 by an American eagle flanked by cannons, by Cardelli.[74]
Gallier Hall (New Orleans City Hall)	Louisiana 545 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans		figures of Liberty, Justice, and Commerce[75]	R.E. Launitz	James Gallier	1851	white marble
Maryland State House Annex	Maryland State Circle, Annapolis		Seal of Maryland		Baldwin & Pennington	1905		The west portico and pediment were part of a 1902-05 expansion of the 1722 building.
Whitehall	Maryland 1915 Whitehall Road, Annapolis		Seal of Province of Maryland[76]	William Buckland	Joseph Horatio Anderson	1765	painted wood
Baltimore City Recreational Pier	Maryland Fells Point, 1715 Thames Street, Baltimore		Recreation Pier Relief[77]		Theodore Wells Pietsch	1914	limestone
First Unitarian Church	Maryland Charles & Franklin Streets, Baltimore		Pediment with the Angel of Truth emerging from a sunburst[78]	Antonio Cappellano Henry Berge (1960 copy)	Maximilian Godefroy	1818 1960	polychrome terra cotta	The pedimental sculpture was replaced by a copy, 1960.[79]
Baltimore Museum of Art	Maryland Art Museum Drive, Baltimore 39°19′34″N 76°37′9″W / 39.32611°N 76.61917°W / 39.32611; -76.61917 (Baltimore Museum of Art)		To the Fine Arts[80]	Adolph Alexander Weinman	John Russell Pope	1930	limestone
Colonial Theatre	Maryland 12-14 South Potomac Street, Hagerstown		two figures, with lute and lyre, face each other, with two angelic putti[81]	Henri Plasschaert of the Boston Terra Cotta Company	Harry E. Yessler	1914	polychrome terra cotta
Dunster House	Massachusetts Harvard University, 945 Memorial Drive, Cambridge		Central pediment: Harvard College Coat of Arms		Hugh Shepley of Coolidge, Shepley, Bulfinch & Abbott	1930		Named for Henry Dunster, Harvard's first president. One end pavilion pediment features the coat of arms of the Dunster family, and the other the coat of arms of Dunster's alma mater, Magdalene College, Cambridge.
New Bedford City Hall	Massachusetts William Street, New Bedford		New Bedford Industries and City Seal[82]	Timothy J. McAuliffe	Samuel C. Hunt	1908	brownstone
New Bedford Institution for Savings	Massachusetts 174 Union Street, New Bedford		Worker and mother flank an angel, who is both winged and modestly dressed[83]	Hugh Cairns	Charles Brigham	1897
Saint Joseph Memorial Chapel	Massachusetts College of the Holy Cross, 1 College Street, Worcester				Maginnis & Walsh	1924[84]		Memorial to Holy Cross students and alumni killed in World War I.
Wayne County Courthouse	Michigan 600 Randolph Street, Detroit		General Anthony Wayne and Indians Conducting a Treaty[85]	Edward Wagner	John Scott	1901	stone
Michigan State Capitol	Michigan Lansing		The Rise and Progress of Michigan[86]	Carl H. Wehner Lewis T. Ives Richard Rutter (carver) Richard Glaister (carver)	Elijah E. Myers	1876	sandstone
Basilica of Saint Mary	Minnesota 1600 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis		Virgin Mary with attendants and putti		Emmanuel Louis Masqueray	1914
Mississippi State Capitol[87]	Mississippi Mississippi Street, Jackson 32°18′14″N 90°10′56″W / 32.30389°N 90.18222°W / 32.30389; -90.18222 (Mississippi State Capitol)			Robert Bringhurst	Theodore C. Link	1900		"Sculpted in 1900, with an enthroned personification of the state at the center, surrounded by figures representing Poetry, Industry, and Science, huntsmen, farmers, white people, black people, and Native American, they are Mississippi’s version of the pediment of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece."[88]
Illinois State Memorial	Mississippi Vicksburg National Military Park, Vicksburg		Pediment[89]	Charles J. Mulligan	William Le Baron Jenny	1906	Georgia white marble
Missouri State Capitol	Missouri 201 West Capitol Avenue, Jefferson City		Missouri State Capitol Pediment[90]	Adolph Alexander Weinman	Tracy & Swartout	1926	Burlington limestone
New Masonic Temple	Missouri 3681 Lindell Boulevard, St. Louis		two pediments, front and rear, decorate the attic temple of a neo-Classical concrete Masonic lodge[91]	Victor Berlendis[92]	Eames & Young with Albert B. Groves	1926		front: two lamassu standing in profile face a radiant central structure (perhaps a Masonic altar). rear: low-relief garlands and floral carving
Omaha Central High School	Nebraska 124 N 20th Street, Omaha		Omaha Central High School pediment[93]	Jacob Maag	John Latenser Sr.	1912
Latchis Theatre	New Hampshire 55 Pleasant Street, Claremont		Pediment[94]		Mason & Haynes	1928	concrete
New Hampshire State House	New Hampshire 107 North Main Street, Concord		Seal of New Hampshire		Stuart Park	1819	granite	New Hampshire State House c. 1875:
Dover City Hall	New Hampshire 228 Central Avenue, Dover		Dover City Seal[95]		Edward J. Richardson	1935[96]	concrete
Saint Joseph Church	New Hampshire 150 Central Avenue, Dover		St. Joseph with Infant Child[97]	Lualdi & Sons	James J. O'Shaughnessy	1948	Indiana limestone
William L. Dickinson High School	New Jersey 2 Palisade Avenue, Jersey City				John T. Rowland	1906
American Insurance Company Building	New Jersey 15 Washington Street, Newark		central eagle in deep relief, trailing garlands		John H. & Wilson C. Ely	1930	limestone	Formerly housed S. I. Newhouse Center for Law and Justice (Rutgers School of Law – Newark)
Old Passaic County Courthouse	New Jersey 71 Hamilton Street, Paterson, New Jersey				Samuel Burrage Reed	1903
Buffalo History Museum (built as the New York State Pavilion for the 1901 Pan-American Exposition)	New York Delaware Park, Buffalo		Pediment[98]	Edmond Amateis	George Cary	1930	Vermont white marble	The building's pediment was blank for the 1901 Pan-American Exposition.[99] Amateis created the pedimental sculptures and 9 relief panels, 1929-30.[100]
Greene County Courthouse[101]	New York Catskill			A. P. Lombard Company	William J. Beardsley	1909	Ohio sandstone
Hall of Christ	New York Chautauqua Institution, Wythe & South Streets, Chautauqua		Aula Christie pediment[102]		Paul J. Pelz	1908[103]	concrete	The sculptured pediment features an open Bible emitting rays of knowledge.
Elmira City Hall	New York Lake & West Church Streets, Elmira	Arts & Sciences	South pediment: The Arts and Sciences[104] East pediment: Liberty?	New York Architectural Terra Cotta Company	Pierce & Bickford	1895	terra cotta
Bronx Zoo	New York Bronx Park, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York City		Primate House: Orangutan Pediment[105]	A. Phimister Proctor	Heins & La Farge	1901	stone	Proctor also modeled the baboon figure atop the pediment and the monkey frieze along the building's cornice.
			Lion House: Lion Pediment[106]	Eli Harvey		1903	stone	Harvey also modeled the seated lion sentinels and the lion heads in the building's cornice.
Brooklyn Museum	New York 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, New York City		Science and Art[107]	Daniel Chester French Adolph Alexander Weinman Piccirilli Brothers (carvers)	McKim, Mead & White	1913	Indiana limestone
Dime Savings Bank of Brooklyn	New York 9 Dekalb Avenue, Brooklyn, New York City		Morning and Evening of Life[108]	Lee Lawrie	Robert Helmer Halsey, McCormack & Helmer	1932	stone	The original 1908 building, by architects Mowbray & Uffinger, had no pediment. The portico and pediment were added by Helmer, 1931-32.
People's Trust Company	New York 183 Montague Street, Brooklyn, New York City		a male and female figure recline on either side of an emblem		Mowbray and Uffinger[109]	1903	marble
Appellate Division Courthouse of New York State	New York 35 East 25th Street, Manhattan, New York City		The Triumph of Law[110]	Charles Henry Niehaus	James Brown Lord	1900	white marble	Daniel Chester French's acroterion sculpture Justice, atop the pediment.
Baudouine Building	New York 1181-1183 Broadway, Manhattan, New York City		one fully carved pediment on an attic Greek temple, facing east; another two pediments on top floor contain floral designs[111][112]		Alfred Zucker	1896		difficult to see from street level
Bowery Savings Bank	New York 130 Bowery, Manhattan, New York City	130 Bowery pediment	2 identical sculpture groups[113]	Frederick MacMonnies Piccirilli Brothers (carvers)	Stanford White McKim, Mead & White	1895	limestone	The L-shaped building has sculptured pediments on the Bowery and Grand Street facades. 228 Grand Street pediment:
Federal Hall (demolished)	New York Wall Street, Manhattan, New York City		Eagle Pediment	unknown	Pierre Charles L'Enfant	1788	wood?	George Washington's first presidential inauguration took place on the balcony in 1789. Demolished 1812
Henry Clay Frick House Frick Collection	New York 1 East 70th Street, Manhattan, New York City		Garden pavilion, south pediment:[114]	Philip Martiny Ardolino Brothers (carvers)	Thomas Hastings	1914	Bedford blue limestone	Two of the rounded pediments adorn the garden pavilion, at left.
			Garden pavilion, north pediment: Orpheus?[115]	Attilio Piccirilli Ardolino Brothers (carvers)		1914	Bedford blue limestone
			70th Street pediment:	Charles Keck[116]		1914		Originally over the porte cochere. Now over the public entrance.
			71st Street pediment:	Sherry Fry		1914		Originally over the porte cochere. Now beside the Frick Art Reference Library entrance.
Hudson River Railway Company Freight Terminal (demolished) (New York Central Railroad)	New York Hudson Street at St. John's Park, Manhattan, New York City		Cornelius Vanderbilt pediment	Ernst Plassmann	George Fischer & Brother, founder	1868	Statue: bronze Relief: bronze	The statue was relocated in 1913 to Grand Central Station:[117] The freight terminal site is now an approach to the Holland Tunnel.
Madison Square Presbyterian Church (demolished)	New York Madison Square, 24th Street & Madison Avenue, Manhattan, New York City		The Adoration of the Shrine of Truth – pedimental relief sculpture of the Ark of the Covenant, flanked by angels, cherubs, a knight and a shepherd – figures in white & gold set against a blue background	Adolph Alexander Weinman	Stanford White McKim, Mead & White Atlantic Terra Cotta Works	1910	terra cotta	MMA Library exterior, 1920. The 44-foot-long pediment was removed prior to the church's demolition in 1919, and installed on the exterior of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Library.[118] It was destroyed during a museum expansion in 1960.
Museum of the City of New York	New York 1220-27 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, New York City		Seal of New York City	Leo Friedlander	Joseph H. Freedlander	1930	white marble
New York City Police Headquarters	New York 240 Center Street, Manhattan, New York City		four pediments, with the main (western) facade featuring two figures on either side of a crest, trailing garlands[119]		Hoppin and Koen	1909
New York County Courthouse (now New York State Supreme Court Building)	New York 60 Centre Street, Manhattan, New York City		The True Administration of Justice is the Finest Pillar of Good Government[120]	Frederick Warren Allen	Guy Lowell	1927	granite
New York County National Bank Building	New York Eight Avenue and West 14th Street, Manhattan, New York City		a lone eagle, wings spread, centered in the pediment[121]	unknown	designer Rudolph Daus for DeLemos & Cordes, architects	1907	stone
New York Public Library Main Branch	New York Fifth Avenue & 42nd Street, Manhattan, New York City		Northern pediment: The Arts[122]	George Grey Barnard John Donnelly (carver) Ulysses Ricci carver	Carrère and Hastings	1917	marble	The sculptured pediments are atop the end pavilions of the Fifth Avenue façade.
			Southern pediment: History[123]	George Grey Barnard John Donnelly (carver) Ulysses Ricci carver		1917	marble
New York Stock Exchange	New York 11 Wall Street, Manhattan, New York City		Integrity Protecting the Works of Man[124]	John Quincy Adams Ward with Paul Wayland Bartlett Gentulio Piccirilli (carver)	George Browne Post	1904	white marble (1904) painted copper (1936)	Ward's marble figures were replaced with painted copper replicas in 1936.
St. Andrew's Roman Catholic Church	New York 20 Cardinal Hayes Place, Manhattan, New York City		two male winged angels flank a cartouche[125][126]		Maginnis & Walsh with Robert J. Reiley	1939
St. Paul's Chapel	New York 209 Broadway, Manhattan, New York City		Statue of St. Paul	unknown	Thomas McBean	1790	wood (tulip poplar)	In a 1799 painting by Archibald Robertson: The statue was replaced by a resin replica in 2016.[127] The original has been restored,[128] and is now housed inside the chapel.
Kykuit John D. Rockefeller Estate	New York 200 Lake Road, Pocantico Hills			Francois Tonetti, possibly assisted by his spouse Mary Lawrence Tonetti	Delano & Aldrich	1913
Rush Rhees Library	New York University of Rochester, Rochester			Ulysses Ricci Edward Ardolino (carver)	Charles A. Platt Gordon & Kaelber	1930
Hall of Springs	New York Saratoga Spa State Park, Saratoga		3 pediments: Man and Nature Join Together in the Waters of the Springs[129] Athena Introduces Asklepios to the Saratoga Springs[130] The Infidelity of Asklepios[131]	George H. Snowden	Joseph Freedlander	1934	stone
Stark County Courthouse	Ohio Tuscarawas Street, Canton		Commerce - Justice - Agriculture - Industry[132]	unknown	George F. Hammond	1895		The 1870 Second Empire style courthouse was dramatically altered to a Beaux Arts style by Hammond, 1893-95.[133]
Cleveland Trust Company Building	Ohio 9th Street & Euclid Avenue, Cleveland		The Blessings of Land and Water[134]	Karl Bitter	George Browne Post & Sons	1907	granite
Severance Hall	Ohio 11001 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland		Severance Hall Pediment[135]	Henry Hering	Frank Ginn Walker and Weeks	1931	Indiana limestone
Stambaugh Auditorium	Ohio 1000 Fifth Avenue, Youngstown		Pediment Group[136]	Gaetano Cecere	Harvey Wiley Corbett	1926	Indiana limestone
Carnegie Library (Guthrie, Oklahoma)	Oklahoma 402 East Oklahoma Avenue, Guthrie	South pediment	2 identical pediments on south and west facades		J. H. Bennett	1903	terra cotta?
First National Bank Building	Oregon 401 SW 5th Avenue, Portland		Seal of Oregon Territory flanked by allegorical figures		Coolidge & Shattuck	1916
Kirby Hall, Lafayette College	Pennsylvania 730 High Street, Easton		two female figures with props (fasces, scales, crown, owl, a pile of books) flank a rectangular panel reading "Hall of Civil Rights", with eagle perched above[137]	Edward McCartan	Warren and Wetmore	1930
Lynnewood Hall	Pennsylvania 920 Spring Avenue, Elkins Park		Pedimental sculpture[138]	Henri-Léon Gréber	Horace Trumbauer	1914	Caen stone	Trumbauer altered the 1897 mansion's original pediment to accommodate Gréber's sculpture group.[139]
Westmoreland County Courthouse	Pennsylvania 2 North Main Street, Greensburg				William S. Kaufman	1906
Broad Street Station (demolished)	Pennsylvania Broad & Market Streets, Philadelphia		Fire and Water Tamed and Harnessed to the Service of Man	Karl Bitter	Frank Furness	1894	red terra cotta	Installed above the entrance to the 15th Street tunnel. Demolished 1953
First Bank of the United States	Pennsylvania 120 South 3rd Street, Philadelphia		Eagle Pediment[140]	Clodius F. Legrand & Sons	Samuel Blodgett (attributed), possibly with James Hoban[141]	1797	painted mahogany
Free Library of Philadelphia Parkway Central Library	Pennsylvania 1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia		Eastern pediment: History of Printing[142]	John Donnelly & Company[143]	Horace Trumbauer	1927	limestone	Vine Street façade: Putti with books and screw printing press:
			Western pediment: Writing	John Donnelly & Company[144]		1927	limestone	Putti with paper and typewriter:
Germantown High School	Pennsylvania 40 High Street, Philadelphia		a central winged female figure is flanked by 11 other figures, with children holding scrolls, skulls, a locomotive, other allegorical props	Louis Milione[145]		1914[146]
Girard Trust Corn Exchange Bank (now Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia)	Pennsylvania 34-35 South Broad Street, Philadelphia		Relief portrait bust of Stephen Girard flanked by sailing ships		Frank Furness (preliminary design) Allen Evans (plan) McKim, Mead & White (detailing)[147]	1908	white marble	Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia:
Philadelphia County Family Court Building	Pennsylvania 1801 Vine Street, Philadelphia		Eastern pediment: Family Unity	Giuseppe Donato	John T. Windrim Morton Keast	1940	limestone	The building is a near twin to the Parkway Central Library (left).
			Western pediment: Family Protection[148]	Louis Milione		1940	limestone
Philadelphia Museum of Art	Pennsylvania Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia		Western Civilization[149]	C. Paul Jennewein	Horace Trumbauer Zantzinger & Borie	1932	polychrome terra cotta	The museum's exterior features 8 pediments. Only this sculpture group has been completed. The one-third-size plaster models for sculptor John Gregory's never-completed Pursuit of Wisdom Pediment (1926) are in PMA's collection.[150]
Rodin Museum	Pennsylvania Benjamin Franklin Parkway & 21st Street, Philadelphia		replica of the Meudon Monument (Rodin's grave)	Benedict Stone Corp.	Paul Philippe Cret	1929	limestone sculpture: cast stone	Meudon Monument The Meudon Monument features the ruins of an 18th-century façade from the Château d'Issy (burned 1871). Rodin's grave is marked by a copy of his most famous sculpture, The Thinker.[151]
University of Pennsylvania Law School (now Silverman Hall)[152]	Pennsylvania 34th & Chestnut Streets, Philadelphia		pediment with two unicorns flanking cartouche, eagle above	Edward Maene	Cope and Stewardson	1902	limestone	The building was modeled after Christopher Wren's 1689–1702 addition to Hampton Court Palace, which shows a similar heraldic image but with no pediment.
Charleston City Hall (formerly Charleston Branch, Bank of the United States)	South Carolina 80 Broad Street, Charleston		Charleston City Seal[153]	James E. Walker & Brothers	Gabriel Manigault (attributed), 1804[154] Charles Reichardt, 1839	1839	stone	Manigault designed the building as the Charleston Branch, Bank of the United States, 1804. Reichardt altered it into the City Hall, 1839. The seal's Latin motto translates, '"The Body Politic, She Guards Her Buildings, Customs and Laws." The building is the "second-oldest city hall in continuous use in America."[155]
South Carolina National Bank of Charleston	South Carolina 16 Broad Street, Charleston		carved, gilded eagle[156]	unknown	unknown	1817	gilded oak
Shelby County Courthouse	Tennessee 160 Adams Street, Memphis		Four pediment groups: Canon Law, Roman Law, Statutory Law, Civil Law and Criminal Law.	J. Massey Rhind	H. D. Hale and James Gamble Rogers[157]	Building constructed in 1909[157]
Parthenon	Tennessee Centennial Park, Nashville		East pediment: The Birth of Athena[158]	George Julian Zolnay (1897) Belle Kinney (1931) Leopold Scholz (1931)	Capt. W.C. Smith, (1897) Russell E. Hart, (1931)	1931	painted concrete	Nashville's nickname is "The Athens of the South," and a replica of the Parthenon was built to be the main attraction at the 1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition. Constructed of artificial stone over wood, it was expected to be temporary building. A permanent replica, constructed of concrete over a steel armature, was begun in the 1920s and completed in 1931.[159]
			West pediment: The Battle between Athena and Poseidon[160]
Schermerhorn Symphony Center	Tennessee 1 Symphony Place, Nashville			Raymond Kaskey	David M. Schwarz Earl Swensson Associates	2006	marble	Home of the Nashville Symphony
Noyes Building	Utah Snow College, 150 East College Avenue, Ephraim		The Three Muses[161]	Richard C. Watkins		1903	painted tin over carved wood or plaster
George Washington Masonic National Memorial	Virginia 101 Callahan Drive, Alexandria		George Washington Medallion[162]	Gail Sherman Corbett	Harvey Wiley Corbett	1932	granite
Cabell Hall	Virginia University of Virginia, Charlottesville		Ye Shall Know the Truth, and the Truth Shall Make You Free[163]	George Julian Zolnay	Stanford White McKim, Mead & White	1898	painted concrete
Marion County Courthouse	West Virginia Adams & Jefferson Streets, Fairmont		Entrance Pediment[164]	W. D. Priest of Whyte & Priest	Yost & Packard	1900	stone
Tyler County Courthouse and Jail	West Virginia Main & Dodd Streets, Middlebourne		seated Justice flanked by male and female supplicants[165]	unknown	Holmboe and Pogue	1922		The portico and pediment date from the 1922 redesign of an 1854 building.
Wisconsin State Capitol	Wisconsin 2 East Main Street, Madison		East pediment: Liberty Supported by the Law[166]	Karl Bitter John Grignola (carver)	George Browne Post & Sons	1910	Bethel Vermont granite[167]
			West pediment: Wisconsin State Resources[168]	Karl Bitter		1917	Bethel Vermont granite	Bitter's plaster model for the west pediment.
			North pediment: The Learning of the World[169]	Attilio Piccirilli Furio Piccirilli (carver)		1915	Bethel white granite
			South pediment: Wisdom, Thought, and Reflection[170]	Adolph Alexander Weinman		1917	Bethel Vermont granite
Germania Building	Wisconsin 135 W. Wells Street, Milwaukee		two pediments: lower on entry portico has two putti flanking cartouche, upper with two seated figures flanking cartouche reading "1896"[171]	Carl Kuehns of the Milwaukee Ornamental Carving Company[172]	Schnetsky & Liebert	1896	stone

References

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