[Map]

		B3 INDEX
		Lansburgh's
		National Archives Building
		7th & Pennsylvania

	NATIONAL ARCHIVES BUILDING

National Archives and Records Administration building from the North (from the Navy Memorial), with view of pediment by Adolph A. Weinman. Designed by German immigrant artist Adolph A. Weinman (1870–1952) and carved by the Edward Ardolino Company, the north pediment of the National Archives represents "Destiny" and was unveiled January 12, 1936. Weinman is best known for his architectural sculpture and as the designer of the United States dime and half-dollar of 1916. The Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, hold copies of his papers, including his sketchbooks.

As the National Archives notes: "In Adolph Weinman's highly symbolic pediment for the Pennsylvania Avenue side of the National Archives Building, an enthroned Zeus-like figure "Destiny" is flanked by figures representing "The Arts of War" and "The Arts of Peace." These are surrounded by figures representing "The Romance of History" and "The Song of Achievement." Weinman's theme was that progress is determined by knowledge of the past: knowledge gained through documents held in the Archives."

Adolph Weinman (1870-1952), born in Karlsruhe, Germany, came to the United States in 1880. He studied at New York's Cooper Union and the Art Students League. Weinman studied with Philip Martiny and worked as an assistant with the major sculptors Daniel Chester French, Olin Warner, and Augustus Saint-Gaudens. He opened his own studio in 1904.