Riverside Park New Deal Sites - Photo #56 - Joan of Arc Statue at 93rd Street

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joanofarc3
The Joan of Arc statue on Riverside Drive at 93rd Street, by Anna Vaugh Hyatt Huntington, dedicated in 1915. In 1939, the statue was repatined, its broken sword restored, and its staircase repaired[1]. As noted in references[2-5] below, this was done by the Parks Department Monuments Restoration Project which was part of the WPA.

References:

  1. Riverside Park: Joan of Arc Memorial, New York City Parks Department website.
  2. Parks Monuments Conservation Crew Vintage Film, c.1934 to 1937, NYC Parks Department archive. Video segment 31:04-31:36. “With support from the Federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) this film was taken in the 1930s by Karl Gruppe (1893-1982), chief sculptor of the Monument Restoration Project of the New York City Parks Department, from 1934 to 1937....“
  3. NYC Parks Dept press release of April 11, 1937: “Mr. Gruppe has been in charge of the monument restoration projects of the Park Department since early 1934 and has superintended the rehabilitation of many of the City's monuments since that time, notable among these projects have been ... the Joan of Arc Statue on Riverside Drive...”
  4. Lowrey, Carol, A Legacy of Art: Paintings and Sculptures by Artist Life Members of the National Arts Club, Hudson Hills (2007): “Gruppe was closely involved in the conservation of New York's public sculptures from 1934 to 1937, during which time, under the auspices of the New York City Department of Parks' Monument Restoration Project and Public Works of Art Project, he chaired a committee of sculptors who oversaw the restoration of significant monuments and fountains throughout the city.”
  5. History of New Deal Art Projects: “In 1933 and 1934, during the period of The Great Depression, the Federal government's Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) was organized by the Civil Works Administration. The general purpose of the program was to give work to artists by arranging to have competent representatives of the profession embellish public buildings. This program lasted less than one year, yet it provided employment for approximately 3,700 artists who created nearly 15,000 works of art. In 1935, a similar project, the Federal Art Project (FAP) was established by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The Federal Art Project continued until 1943...”
  6. Federal Writers' Project, The WPA Guide to New York City, Random House (1939), p.286: “...mounted on a base containing fragments from Rheims Cathedral, scene of the Maid's greatest triumph, and stones from the Tower of Rouen, where she awaited trial and death.”