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:
- Riverside
Park: Joan of Arc Memorial, New York City Parks Department website.
- 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....“
- 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...”
- 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...”
- 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.”