Famous DC Sculpture Awakens to Leave
My favorite sculpture in the Washington, DC are is The Awakening, located at Hains Point in East Potomac Park.
Sadly, it has been sold and will be moved to a new location. On Wednesday, it will be dug up and begin its move to its new home.
The good news. It isn’t moving far.
The National Park Service “temporary” 2-year permit initially allowed the piece to be located in the park in 1980. But it’s been there ever since.
It has since become one of the most popular non-monument sculptures in Washington, DC and a great photo op for parents with kids, lovers and tourists alike. At night, the sculpture has an eerie yet tranquil feel to it overlooking the Potomac River and National Airport.
Installed in by American sculptor J. Seward Johnson, Jr., as part of a international sculpture exhibition; the 15-foot high, 5-piece cast aluminum sculpture overlooks the water at the end of East Potomac Park.
The piece has been for sale ever since it was installed and last spring, it was sold for $740,000 to the developer of the new 300-acre National Harbor development on the Potomac River waterfront, in Prince Georges county in Maryland.
The piece will be placed near the harbor’s amphitheater, close enough to the water, that in times of flooding, it will be partially underwater. It’s current positioning will also be changed slightly, to make the sculpture’s placement a bit more anatomically correct.
The sculpture’s new location will be visible from the Wilson Bridge and a focal point of the development.
Besides The Awakening, the new National Harbor will be home to four boating docks, six new hotels including the Wyndham Vacation Resort with 1,100 rooms, a couple condo developments with 2,500 residential units, and a half million sq. feet of office space.
Additionally, the National Children’s Museum will be opening there in 2012, as well as an outdoor movie theater, as well as a convention and entertainment center for events such as music concerts, Octoberfest and festivals.
The first events at he new National Harbor, starting in May of this year, include a luxury yacht show and a food and wine festival.
The Awakening at Hains Point
East Potomac Park
About ¾ miles south 1090 Ohio Dr. SW, at the end of the Hains Point
Washington, DC 20001
Images - personal collection - © 2008 - Jon Rochetti
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4 Comments
Are you going to say goodbye?
I can see by the leaf coverage that these photos were not taken in this season.
As of yet I have never taken any night shots of THE AWAKENING.
I may head down on Sunday for a final look and a few more photos. If not, I’ll need to wait until; it’s reinstalled at the harbor.
I also realized I have many photos of it, but none with me in it. I might like to get at least one.
The photos in all my posts were taken at three different times, all during the summer.
And if you get a chance, do visit the sculpture at night for some interesting photo ops. It’s your last chance in its current location..
[...] was a bit disappointed when one of my favorite sculptures, The Awakening, was removed from Hains Point in East Potomac Park in February to be relocated at National [...]
how is it at night,i mean how is the sculpture lighting?do u have any photo of it?