River Horse, Bronze hippopotamus sculpture at Lisner Auditorium, George Washington University, United States.
River Horse is a bronze hippopotamus sculpture with its mouth open, placed in front of Lisner Auditorium on the George Washington University campus in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It stands at street level on a low base, making it easy to approach and observe up close.
The sculpture was purchased in 1996 by then-president Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, who gave it as a gift to the George Washington University graduating class of 2000. It has stood in its current spot ever since.
Students at George Washington University treat this hippo as an informal good-luck charm, touching it before exams or during campus tours. The worn patches on its nose and face make that habit visible to anyone who looks closely.
The sculpture stands at the corner of 21st and H Streets and is easy to reach on foot from the Foggy Bottom area. A small plaque nearby gives background on the work and is worth reading before moving on.
George Washington once explored the idea of bringing hippopotamuses to the Potomac River to pull nutrient-rich mud from its bed for farming. That forgotten plan gives the sculpture an unexpected connection to the early history of the city around it.
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