Guglielmo Marconi Memorial – Washington, D.C. - Atlas Obscura

Guglielmo Marconi Memorial

Dedicated to the man who created the first radio wave communication system.  

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The Guglielmo Marconi Memorial honors the man credited with the invention of the first radio wave communication system which was installed on June 30, 1941.

The monument is made of pink granite and uses Art Moderne stylistic elements that were popular in the 1930s. A gilded bronze bust of Marconi sits atop the foremost rectangular pedestal. A broad granite slab behind the pedestal holds a gilded bronze sculpture comprised of electrical waves disappearing into clouds set beneath an emerging world. 

Topping the monument is a woman with her left arm extending east and her right arm bent and pointing to the sky. Electrical waves echo off her hair and the drapery billowing around her legs. The monument was created by sculptor Attilio Piccirilli. The statue was re-guilded in 2006.

Know Before You Go

The memorial is part of the Mount Pleasant Historic District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 5, 1987.

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February 24, 2023

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