The 7-acre Lafayette park and the blocks surrounding it, located right across the White House in Washington DC, are collectively known as the Lafayette Square. The park is primarily used for special events, ranger programs and public protests.
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History of Lafayette Square
The park was earlier conceived as a part of the President's Park in the L'Enfant Plan of 1791, however, in 1804, it was cut from the White House's land by President Jefferson.
After the separation from the President's Park plan, the land was used for a lot of purposes such as a zoo and a market.
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The square is named after General Lafayette who visited St. Louis in 1825. General Lafayette was the popular hero of the American Revolution.
Key Statues in the Park
Rochambeau Statue
Erected in 1902, the Rochambeau Statue is a replica of a sculpture that was created by Fernand Hamar.
Following the Spanish-American war, this statue of the war hero, General Comte de Rochambeau, was erected in the park. He was the commander of the French army that fought alongside George Washington during the Revolutionary war.
Lafayette Statue
The park is named after the French General, Marquis De Lafayette who befriended George Washington in the Revolutionary war. His statue is located in the southeast corner of the park.
Andrew Jackson Statue
Located right at the center of the park, General Andrew Jackson's statue was the first of its kind statue of a person on a horseback. It was sculpted in 1853 by Clark Mill.
Kosciuszko Statue
Statue of the Polish Colonel, Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kościuszko, who fought in the Revolutionary War in the Continental Army, is located in the northeast corner of the park.
Von Steuben Statue
The German Army officer, Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, who served as the Major General of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, has been honored with a statue in the northwest corner in the park.
Frozen Blanket
Representing the homeless people of the country, a blanket is installed in the shape of a man on a bench in the park.