Weekend, January 6-7, 2024 – A GARDEN OF RESCUED ART

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FROM THE ARCHIVES

WEEKEND, JAN. 6-7, 2024

Steinberg Sculpture Garden

Brooklyn, New York

A beautiful collection of a


architectural ornaments

rescued from demolished

New York City


 buildings. 

Issue 1158

ATLAS OBSCURA


BROOKLYN MUSEUM

WHEELSLARGE0K (ATLAS OBSCURA USER)

IN THE EVER-CHANGING CITY OF New York, old buildings are constantly torn down to make room for newer projects. But thankfully, not all the beautiful features of these lost buildings are gone for good.

Some of the luckier statues, sculptures, and ornamental features wound up at the Steinberg Sculpture Garden at the Brooklyn Museum. Collected and curated by the great New York historian and former photography curator Barbara Head Millstein, all of these gorgeously carved works of art were salvaged from demolished buildings.

Standing among the sculptures is like looking at fragments of the city’s architectural past. More than 40 pieces, including urns, keystones, columns, and sculptures, fill the garden. Most of them were created during the late 1800s and early 1900s by anonymous stonemasons.

The pieces demonstrate a variety of styles, motifs, and materials including marble, brownstone, cast-iron, and terracotta. Some of the pieces were from buildings designed by famed architects like Louis Sullivan; McKim, Mead & White; Irwin S. Chanin; and Gutzon Borglum.

A particular highlight is a sculpture that once stood near one of the clocks outside the original Penn Station. The intricately carved work, which depicts the hooded figure of Night clutching poppies, was rescued from a landfill in New Jersey. You can also find majestic Pegasus statues that once guarded the entrance to a Coney Island fire station, an early 20th-century miniature replica of the Statue of Liberty, and stoic Atlas-inspired statues that previously stood outside a wealthy paper manufacturer’s home. Look down, and you’ll also notice moss-covered figures scattered about the ground.

Know Before You Go

The Sculpture Garden is located within the Brooklyn Museum and is free with museum admission. Closed Monday and Tuesday.

WEEKEND PHOTO OF THE DAY

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THURSDAY  PHOTO OF THE DAY

At the apex of the triangle defining the north end of Times Square, the massive statue of Father Francis Patrick Duffy (1871-1932) by Charles Keck (1875-1951) has stood sentinel since it was unveiled May 2, 1937. 

The eight-foot high statue depicts Fr. Francis P. Duffy (1871-1932), the most highly decorated cleric in the history of the United States Army, standing on a pedestal, with a massive Celtic cross at his back. In fact, this triangular section of Times Square is more properly known as Father Duffy Square.

The Canadian-born priest served as a military chaplain during the Spanish American War, and later as pastor of Our Savior parish in the Bronx when he was called up to serve as chaplain of the 69th Infantry Regiment of the New York National Guard in 1914.

The “Fighting 69th,” which was made up of mostly Irish Americans, was called to duty in 1917 during World War I. Sent to the front in France, over the course of 180 days in combat, 900 of its men were killed. Their story was immortalized in the 1940 movie The Fighting 69th, starring James Cagney and Pat O’Brien as the chaplain. 

Fr. Duffy is remembered for his bravery on the battlefield, administering last rites, tending to the wounded, and caring for the dead. Going far beyond the duties of a chaplain, Fr. Duffy served as a leader to his men, boosting their morale as they prepared to enter battle, and comforting the wounded. General Douglas MacArthur later said that Fr. Duffy was briefly considered for the post of regimental commander.

Ed Litcher
Joyce Gold also got it right

PHOTO CREDIT: WIKIPEDIA

CREDITS

ATLAS OBSCURA
BROOKLYN MUSEUM

JUDITH BERDY

MAYA LEVANON-PHOTOS TIK TOK & INSTAGRAM

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