Why there was a white arch on Broad Street in the 1890s

On Aug. 12, 1898, the United States and Spain met in Washington, D.C., to sign a protocol for peace, effectively ending the Spanish-American War.

Celebrations were held in Philadelphia in October to commemorate the end of the war, even though the official peace treaty, the Treaty of Paris, wasn’t signed until December. One of the many things done to celebrate the troops was the construction of an arch over Broad Street in Center City.

But today, that arch is gone. Why was it built? Why was it destroyed? A reader asked these questions through Curious Philly, The Inquirer’s forum for answering questions.

In the latter half of the 1800s, peace jubilees were popular in America. The first official one was the National Peace Jubilee held in Boston in June 1869. This jubilee celebrated the end of the Civil War, while aiming to promote peace across the United States. Another, the World’s Peace Jubilee and International Musical Festival, was held in Boston three years later, according to the City of Philadelphia’s history blog.

These two festivals were the inspiration behind Philadelphia’s Peace Jubilee, which honored the troops of the Spanish-American War. Planning began on Aug. 29, 1898, as then-Mayor Charles Warwick held a meeting to discuss how the city could recognize the soldiers in the war, according to the Free Library of Philadelphia.

For three days in October, the City of Brotherly Love welcomed President William McKinley, over 25,000 troops — including 10,500 Pennsylvanians — and citizens from across the country to champion the outcomes of the Spanish-American War on parts of Broad Street and the Delaware River, according to an article published in the journal Nineteenth Century Studies and written by Cheryl Leibold, a retired archivist at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.

The arch was built as part of the main attraction for Philadelphia’s Peace Jubilee: the Court of Honor.

The Court of Honor was where many of the main events occurred and various temporary monuments were placed. Parades passed through, speeches were held, and church services blessed the spectacle, according to the Oct. 27, 1898, edition of The Inquirer.

A January 1899 edition of The Inquirer said the Court of Honor and its display was something Philadelphia had never seen before. When describing the Court of Honor, it added it “awoke the spirit of beauty and love of the beautiful in the hearts of enthusiastic Philadelphians.”

The arch built near the intersection of Broad and Sansom Streets was a “triumphal arch.”

Triumphal arches are used all across the globe to celebrate people or moments in history. Often, they are styled or influenced by ancient Roman arches used for the same purposes.

The arch built in Philadelphia was no exception to this and was adorned with engravings of horseback riders, soldiers, and American heroes alongside statues of eagles supported by Corinthian columns, the type of columns that support buildings like the U.S. Capitol and the Supreme Court. Emblazoned on the apex of the arch was the word “victory,” while olive branches spelling “peace” sat the bottom, according to the Oct. 27, 1898, edition of The Inquirer.

Joseph M. Huston led the project to construct the Court of Honor. Huston, who was born in Philadelphia on Feb. 23, 1866, was responsible for leading other notable projects, including constructing the current Pennsylvania Capitol Building and the Witherspoon Building.

The Inquirer reported in January 1899 that the public “clamored for the temporary structure to remain,” but instead, the arch was removed.

On Nov. 5, 1898, The Inquirer reported the Court of Honor, including the arch, was to be taken completely down by Nov. 9. Our reporters and editors during the 19th century seem to have decided to not report why or if it actually happened on Nov. 9 or a different date, leaving the reason for its departure a mystery.