Last updated: May 14, 2026
Place
Dupont Circle
DOI / Kelsey Graczyk
Quick Facts
Location:
Washington, DC, at the intersection of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire Avenues, P Street and 19th Street NW
Significance:
Memorial to Admiral Samuel F. Dupont
Amenities
5 listed
Benches/Seating, Pets Allowed, Public Transit, Scenic View/Photo Spot, Trash/Litter Receptacles
Rear Admiral Samuel Francis Dupont Memorial Fountain
Samuel F. Dupont had a storied career in the US Navy and is most noted for his service in the Civil War.
Born at Berge Point, New Jersey, in 1803, Dupont joined the Navy at the age of 12. Year by year, he worked his way up the promotional ladder and was promoted to the rank of captain in 1856. Dupont was serving as commandant of the Philadelphia Navy Yard when the American Civil War began in 1861. To protect Washington, DC, which was surrounded by states of unclear loyalty, Dupont sent the forces under his command to occupy Annapolis, Maryland. This move allowed U.S. troops to reach the beleaguered capital.
Later, Dupont commanded the South Atlantic Blockade Squadron. On November 7, 1861, he helped to capture Fort Royal, South Carolina. The following year, he was promoted to rear admiral. But after an unsuccessful attack on Fort Sumter at Charleston, South Carolina, Dupont was relieved of command. He retired to the family home in Wilmington, Delaware, and died in 1865.
Despite the inauspicious end to his naval career, Dupont never lost his popularity with the people of Wilmington. In 1882, at their behest, Congress decided to raise a statue to Dupont's memory in downtown Washington, DC. The bronze statue of Samuel Dupont, standing and holding a pair of binoculars, by the sculptor Launt Thompson, was unveiled on December 20, 1884, to massive cheering, with the figure draped in an American flag and bunting decorating nearby buildings. In 1917, however, at the request of the Dupont family, the statue was moved to Wilmington, where it remains today.
The Dupont family later had the statue replaced with the current fountain you see today. Designed by Henry Bacon and sculpted by Daniel Chester French, who also designed the Lincoln Memorial and created the statue of President Lincoln, respectively, the fountain features a bowl held aloft by three allegorical figures—The Sea, The Wind, and The Stars. The Dupont Fountain was completed in 1921 and stands today as a central feature of Dupont Circle.
Dupont Circle was originally Pacific Circle
When Pierre Charles L'Enfant drew up plans for the City of Washington in 1791, he envisioned a city of grand vistas and diagonal avenues meeting in circles of green space. The location that became Dupont Circle has a direct connection to the White House along Connecticut Avenue. Nevertheless, until the late nineteenth century, the neighborhood was sparsely populated and undeveloped.
In 1872, the city paved Connecticut Avenue, improving landscaping and public works in the neighborhood, which was then called Pacific Circle. William Stewart, a US Senator from Nevada, built what became known as Stewart Castle on the north section of the circle in 1873. The five-story mansion with center turret was impressive, although some wondered why Stewart built his house so far away from the prestigious areas of the city. A year later, the British Legation Building was completed at 1300 Connecticut Avenue, which began the transformation of the area into desirable real estate.
Pacific Circle was renamed in 1884 with the dedication of the statue honoring Admiral Dupont.
Community
Located at the intersection of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire Avenues in Northwest Washington, DC, Dupont Circle is a cornerstone of the neighborhood, a place to see and be seen, and a gathering place.
In the 1970s, Dupont Circle became a welcoming place for the city's gay community. Activist Deacon Maccubbin opened Earthworks, a craft store and "headshop" that was the city's first openly gay business that wasn't a bar. The neighborhood was also home to The Gay Blade newspaper (now called Washington Blade) and Off Our Backs, a lesbian feminist publication. Maccubbin organized Gay Pride Day in June 1975, a small community gathering that grew every year. The event is now called Capital Pride and draws tens of thousands of people to Dupont Circle for the annual parade and other events.