Until 1830, Boston Commons was known as the "Common Land" and used by Boston townsfolk to graze livestock. Overgrazing became an issue, however, and over time the land transitioned into its current use as a more conventional public park. Over 1000 Redcoats camped on the Common during the British occupation of Boston in 1775. It has been the site of innumerable celebrations and protests. 

Boston Common is a site on the Freedom Trail.

Lithograph by P. Hyman and David Bigelow

Boston Common

The famous American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens spent over a decade creating this bronze bas-relief monument, which is generally considered one of his finest works. It commemorates the Massachusetts 54th Regiment, the first volunteer regiment of African-American soldiers, active during the Civil War. The Regiment was led by white colonel Robert Gould Shaw, the son of prominent Boston abolitionists.

Shaw and his regiment are famous for their assault on Fort Wagner in 1863. Outnumbered, many of the troops, including Shaw, were killed and buried in a mass grave by Confederate soldiers. One of the soldiers who survived the assault, William H. Carney, received a Medal of Honor in recognition of his bravery. The 54th also reportedly included Frederick Douglass' two sons and the grandson of abolitionist Sojourner Truth.

In the relief, an angel accompanies the men as they march down Beacon Street on May 28, 1863, leaving Boston to head south. She holds an olive branch, which symbolizes peace, and poppies, which symbolize death. Through this imagery, Saint-Gaudens alludes to both the soldiers' individual fates and the North's eventual victory. Other features of the relief are realistic, rather than symbolic. For example, each soldier's face is markedly distinct, endowed with a unique appearance and expression. Saint-Gaudens' respect for the soldiers is shown through his efforts to portrays them as individuals, not simply as a group. In 1982, the names of the African-American soldiers who died were added to the reverse side of the memorial. Courtesy of Boston Art Commission.

Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Regiment

Diana, the only female nude figure that Saint-Gaudens designed was originally designed as a rotating weathervane atop the old tower. &nbsp;There were two models, one for the face and one for the body. &nbsp;The minute it was installed, since it could be seen from most of Manhattan it attracted the attention of &nbsp;

The original sculpture was 18' high which was too tall so a 5' shorter one replaced it and the first was relocated to the Chicago World's Fair.&nbsp;

When the building was torn down the statue was removed and placed in storage. &nbsp;

The statue was rescued by the Philadelphia Museum of Art who repaired it and installed it in the Great Stair Hall. &nbsp;New York tried to get it back several times for the 1939 World's Fair to and to adorn the roof of the 1967 iteration of Madison Square Garden. &nbsp;

Madison Square Garden

Philadelphia Museum of Art

A scale model is in the court of the American Wing

Metropolitan Museum of Art

National Gallery of Art

Diana

The Villard Houses were designed for railroad magnate Henry Villard. These Renaissance Revival-style residences feature six homes in a U-shape, crafted from Belleville sandstone. Appearing as a single Italian palazzo, the Villard Houses were actually six residences built around a central courtyard. One of the firm's earliest works, this urban complex has remained substantially intact. Notable artists, including John La Farge and Augustus Saint-Gaudens, contributed to their interiors.&nbsp;

Though ownership changed over time, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese acquired the houses by 1971. In 1980, they became part of the Lotte New York Palace Hotel, with some areas like the Gold Room still intact.&nbsp;

451–457

Villard Houses

 As Rector of Trinity Church, Phillips Brooks oversaw the construction of one of Boston's greatest architectural landmarks. Trinity Church was founded in 1733, but a fire in 1872 destroyed the original building, allowing Brooks to commission this iconic Romanesque-style structure. In this work, the sculptors depict him as a man of great moral and physical stature, and as an impassioned speaker. The cloaked figure of Christ stands behind Brooks and places a hand on his left shoulder, lending him additional authority. Augustus Saint-Gaudens and his assistant Frances Grimes designed the sculpture while the notable architects Stanford White and Charles McKim designed the domed niche. Such collaboration between artists and architects is common in the realm of public art, where works often blur the boundaries between art, architecture, and landscape design. Courtesy of Boston Art Commission. 

Phillips Brooks

in front of Cooper Union; where Bowery splits into 3rd and 4th Avenues

Grant Park

 Augustus Saint-Gaudens was an incredibly influencial and prolific American sculptor. Born in Dublin, Ireland in 1848, his family immigrated to New York shortly after his birth. Taking art classes at Cooper Union and the National Academy of Design when young, he also traveled to Rome and Italy to study and learn. Later in life, he taught at the Art Students League of New York, and worked in support of the American Academy in Rome. He died in 1907, leaving a legacy of sculptures and students.

Home and Studio

This monument to the Civil War admiral David Glasgow Farragut, who was hailed as a much-needed hero in the Union after seizing New Orleans in 1862 and who was famously quoted as saying, “Damn the Torpedoes!” at the Battle of Mobile Bay two years later, sits inside Madison Square, right about in the middle of the park’s north end. The statue was originally at the park’s northwest corner, facing Fifth Avenue. It was moved a few feet when Fifth Avenue was widened in 1909, and after the park was redesigned in 1934, the monument was moved to its present spot.

Augustus Saint-Gaudens

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