Ernest C. Bairstow

• Name — Ernest Cecil Bairstow • Born — 2 April 1876 • Birthplace — Queensbury-Clayton, England • Died — 13 September 1962 • Place of death — Washington, D.C. • Occupation — Sculptor • Known for — Lincoln Memorial

• Illustration — Eagle lampposts at the Taft Bridge in Washington Ernest Cecil Bairstow was born in Queensbury-Clayton, Yorkshire, England, in 1876 to Mary (née Cockroft) and Henry Bairstow. Bairstow assisted Adolfo De Nesti (1870-1935) of Florence with the statuary of the District (Wilson) Building in Washington DC, was constructed between 1902 and 1908. Its allegorical attic figures represent Sculpture, Painting, Architecture, Music, Commerce, Engineering, Agriculture and Statesmanship. The building is an excellent example of American Beaux Arts Classicism, and has been designated a Category II landmark of importance. Around 1906, Bairstow created the Eagle lampposts at the Taft Bridge (Connecticut Avenue Bridge) in Washington. The lamps were cast by the J. L. Motts Iron Works, New York. The lions were made by sculptor Roland Hinton Perry. Bairstow created plaster composition figures of the muses that were installed in arches over boxes on each side of the stage of the Gayety Theater in Washington. The theater was completed in 1907, designed by architect William H. McElfatrick (1854-1922). The theater originally was a member of the Columbia Circuit of Burlesque theaters. After going through many changes, the theater was torn down in November 1959. The United States General Services Administration Building, originally designed for the U.S. Department of the Interior, was built between 1915 and 1917. Bairstow carved the eagle over the central opening, designed the twenty-eight limestone panels in the frieze on the sixth story, and undertook the ornamental work on the F Street entrances. In 1986 the building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Bairstow carved the exterior decoration of the Lincoln Memorial and the inscriptions inside between 1914 and 1922. Ernest Cecil Bairstow died in 1962 and is buried in Glenwood Cemetery.