The
Henry Hudson Memorial in Henry Hudson Park in the Bronx.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
References:
- Henry
Hudson Park, NYC Department of Parks website.
- NYC Parks Dept press release
of April 11, 1937: “Park Commissioner Robert Moses ... has
retained Karl H. Gruppe ... to undertake the reproduction of the original
design [which was lost]. Fortunately, the sculptor's widow ... has a
photograph of the original model and it will be used as a basis for the
reproduction ... 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 Maine Memorial and the Columbus Monument
at Columbus Circle, the Seventh Regiment Monument at Fifth Avenue and 67th
Street, the Joan of Arc Statue on Riverside Drive, and the restoration of
the Wynn Memorial Fountain in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.”
- Parks
Monuments Conservation Crew Vintage Film, c.1934 to 1937, NYC Parks
Department archive. First video segment, Henry Hudson Monument
(00:00-10:15). “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....“
- 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.”
- 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...”
- New Deal Assistance in
NYC Parks Department Projects, 1934-43.