Bronx Victory Memorial

Bronx Victory Memorial. Pelham Bay Park. , How did this become a monument? , The efforts to create a Memorial Grove coincided with a plan to erect a unified monument that would honor all servicemen from the Bronx. Bronx Parks Commissioner Thomas J. Dolen submitted plans for the war memorial to the New York City Art Commission in the spring of 1930. Originally proposed for a site south of Pelham parkway and west of Baychester Avenue, the present location avoided removing memorial trees., One of the most impressive monuments in New York City, the Bronx Victory Memorial was designed by architect and landscape architect John J. Sheridan (1888-1954) and sculptors Belle Kinney (1887-1959) and Leopold Scholz (1877-1946). It consists of a landscaped plaza and a raised paved terrace where a massive limestone pedestal with sculptural reliefs stands. At the center of the pedestal, a Corinthian column is topped by a gilded bronze victory figure., Sheridan was a designer for the James Gamble Rogers architectural firm and Starrett and Van Vleck Architects. Hew as an apt choice to design this monument, as he had served as an infantry captain in World War I. As built, the monument was approached by two gravel-grout paths with granite flagstone borders around a lavish rectangular floral bed framed by hedges., On the south side, decorative limestone urns and terracotta pots flank a broad central staircase. At the terrace level, Cordova cream limestone reliefs, designed by Kinney and Scholz, depict regiments of soldiers marching into battle. Measuring 18 feet high and weighing 7,300 pounds, their striking "Lady of Victory" is poised atop a stone globe at the apex of the 70-foot-high column. The sculpture and classical column are part of a long symbolic sculptural tradition dating to Greek and Roman antiquity., Who is this monument dedicated to? , Erected in 1932 and dedicated in an elaborate ceremony on Sept. 24, 1933, the memorial and adjacent grove of trees on the south side of Shore Road commemorate the 947 soldiers from the Bronx who gave their lives in service during World War I. Mayo John P. O'Brien (1873-1951), Commissioner Dolen, and former acting mayor Joseph V. McKee (1889-1956) all gave speeches. A parade, massing of colors, aviation display, and music by the police, fire and sanitation departments' bands added to the festivities. The statue was unveiled by Mrs. Julia Zimmerman, president of the Bronx Gold Star Mothers., Though ushered into the world with fanfare, the monument suffered over time from faulty construction, environmental erosion, and vandalism. NYC Parks crews conducted a large structural restoration in 1943, and the City funded capital improvements in 2001. During reconstruction, a time capsule from 1932 was unearthed. The contents of the capsule included yellowed newspapers and the World War I medals of Bronx soldiers and were ultimately given to the Bronx County Historical Society for safekeeping. On Nov. 11, 2001, at 11 a.m., exactly 83 years after the armistice that ended World War I, the restored monument was rededicated. A new capsule that contains documents on the site restoration, rededication materials, modern newspaper clippings, and several medals from the original capsule was interred in 2003 as part of the memorial's plaza restoration.