Peabody Soldiers Memorial Restoration at Obama Academy
Restoration Efforts & History…
Preservation Pittsburgh is joining the Military Community Support Project to raise funds to restore and landmark this important monument as it reaches its centennial. The memorial sits at what is today Pittsburgh Public Schools' Barack Obama Academy of International Studies, which from 1911-2011 served as the Benjamin H. Peabody High School. Current plans call for:
The full restoration of the memorial's bronze body and the recreation of Victory's missing hand & wreath
The relocation of an existing flagpole on school property
Architectural lighting
Restoration the original setting before the 1970's renovation
Connecting to East Liberty Boulevard
This project will preserve and restore a significant Pittsburgh monument and create a much-needed welcoming outdoor space for Obama Academy students.
The campaign goal is $100,000. We thank you for supporting this public-school asset, and those who served in the First World War.
History of Memorial to Peabody Soldiers
The school building traces its roots to 1889 when the "Hiland-Sub School" opened. It would become the Margaretta Street School in 1902. In 1911, the present School District of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh Public Schools) was created. The Margaretta School building, which served elementary students, became the new consolidated citywide school district's first East End high school. In the fall of 1911, the Peabody High School opened. It was named for Dr. Benjamin H. Peabody who was the president of the former Hiland-Sub School District and a prominent Highland Park physician.
In 2012, the school building began its present life as PPS's flagship Barack Obama Academy. Home of the prominent and rigorous International Baccalaureate program.
A renovation from 1975-1978 rendered the Peabody Building largely unrecognizable to half of its alumnus. It's once grand stained-glass windows and terra cotta treatments were bricked over to create its current form. Only the towering columns of the original East Liberty Boulevard entrance and the Memorial to Peabody Soldiers remain.
The Memorial was erected at the base of a flagpole at the former front entrance. Liberty bonds and funds were raised by students of Peabody to commemorate the 500 students who served in the First World War. Fifteen were killed in action.
Renowned sculptor Frank Vittor was commissioned to create what is the most significant war memorial at a Pittsburgh Public Schools building today. The monument features facing east a figure of Columbia - the war-era female personification of the United States - trumpet in hand, arousing the youth of the nation to fight for her. To the right of Columbia is a virile figure springing eagerly forward in response to Columbia's call. Beyond this are two figures of a mother and a son, signifying the heart-wrenching parting of a mother sending her son off to war. Following this this is a group of three figures: a returned soldier about to be crowned with laurels; Victory, the allegorical figure clutching a wreath; and Immortality, a sad figure mourning with drooping head for those who gave their lives for their country.
The memorial was dedicated at 11 AM on May 30, 1924.
Above these figures once stood a 100-foot flagpole that was removed in 1953. From that point, the piece has fallen into disrepair. The wreath and hand of Victory have been missing since the 1960's.
Preservation Pittsburgh is proud to support the restoration of the Memorial to Peabody Soldiers - which will celebrate its 100th Anniversary in 2024.
