Tribute to the Founder

When Pittsburgh Banker Andrew W. Mellon gave Washington its $15 million art gallery in 1937, he made a condition: it must not bear his name. He suggested it be called simply the National Gallery of Art, and his wish was officially respected.* But four years ago, some of Mellon's Pittsburgh friends decided that he had been anonymous long enough. They raised more than $300,000 and commissioned architects to design a tribute. Last week, on a triangular plot across from the Gallery, a classically simple bronze fountain was dedicated. A nearby bench of granite bears the inscription: "Andrew W. Mellon. Financier--Industralist--Statesman . . . This fountain is a tribute from friends."

* Though, popularly, Washingtonians refer to it as "the Mellon Gallery."

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