civic-virtue-statue-kew-gardens-queens

The NY Daily News reports that there are a number of Queens residents perturbed that the Triumph of Civic Virtue statue was moved from its long time home near Borough Hall in Kew Gardens to the Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. They want to know how and why it was moved, and in December they filed a Freedom of Information Law request with the city for the deets. It’s now in the hands of the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, who has confirmed they received it.

Apparently there is some secrecy involved, so says Kew Gardens resident Jon Torodash – “There are a lot of issues going on with this statue. Residents were annoyed enough that we were losing such a great work of art but then there was this whole secrecy and these strange channels through the Design Commission.”

But city officials said the November public hearing in which the statue was discussed was advertised in the City Record and some local lawmakers were notified about it. Still, Todorash remains committed to find out the details of the decision to move the statue – “We want a clear and honest explanation as to what went on.”

For now, the statue remains in Brooklyn. One of the benefits of it being there is that some conservation will be done come spring on the 1920s statue, promised by Green-Wood’s president Richard Moylan; while in Kew Gardens it deteriorated from its exposure to the elements.

And to answer the “how” the statue was moved, it was raised by a crane and trucked down to BK.

Civic Virtue may be gone but not forgotten by Queens activists [NYDN]
Controversial Civic Virtue statue on its way to Brooklyn [QNYC]
Civic Virtue At Green-Wood [Green-Wood]


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