Bloomingdale in Manhattan in New York County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Franz Sigel Statue
Riverside Park
This bronze equestrian sculpture of military officer, educator, journalist, and public servant Franz Sigel (1824-1902) is by the distinguished sculptor Karl Bitter (1867-1915). Sigel is also honored with a park named for him, which is located at 158th Street and the Grand Concourse in the Bronx.
Sigel was a patriot both in his native land of Germany and in his adopted home in the United States. He was born on November 18, 1824, in Sinsheim, Baden. He completed his studies at the Gymnasium of Bruchsal, graduated from the military academy of Karlsruhe in 1843, and then became a lieutenant in the grand ducal service. However, his liberal views were in conflict with the existing regime. After leading an unsuccessful revolutionary force in 1848, he was forced to flee to Switzerland. He traveled in exile to England in 1851, and then to the United States a year later.
After settling in New York City in 1852, he taught in public schools and German schools, co-founded the German-American Institute, joined the Fifth New York Militia, and wrote for the New Yorker, Staats-Zeitung, and the New York Times. He moved to St. Louis in 1857 to teach at the German-American Institute.
At the outset of the American Civil War, Sigel formed a regiment that helped to keep Missouri and its federal arsenal for the Union. Rising to the rank of major general in the Union Army, he fought in several decisive campaigns including Pea Ridge and the Second Battle of Bull Run. He is credited with encouraging many German-Americans to fight for the Union. Sigel returned to New York in 1867, first working in the transportation industry and then serving in various positions in local and federal government. He then resumed his career in journalism as the publisher of the New York Deutsches Volksblatt and editor of the New York Monthly. He died on August 21, 1902.
In 1904, a monument committee commissioned Karl Bitter to sculpt his portrait. Bitter was born in Austria and trained in Europe before immigrating to the United States in 1889. He created numerous sculptures for wealthy private clients such as the Vanderbilts and Astors, as well as many public works of art, including the statue of Carl Schurz (1913) in Morningside Park. Before his death in a car accident, he modeled the maquette for the figure of Pomona atop the Pulitzer Fountain (1913-1916) in Manhattan’s Grand Army Plaza. His masterful portrait of Sigel was one in a series of sculptures he made of foreign-born American military heroes, including the Marquis de Lafayette and Baron Von Steuben.
With the Franz Sigel commission, Bitter took great care in determining its location at the top of a staircase where West 106th Street meets Riverside Drive. The granite pedestal projects beyond the top step and rests on a secondary stone base. It was dedicated in 1907. In 1941 Sigel’s bronze sword was dislodged and reattached by Parks crews, and was later removed to storage and safekeeping. In the late 1980s, the Parks monuments crew cleaned and waxed the statue, and the monument is presently slated for conservation and restoration of the sword. Recent horticultural enhancements to the adjoining hillside have been supported by the Greenstreets program and the Riverside Park Fund.
City of New York Parks & Recreation
November 2001
Erected 2001 by City of New York Parks & Recreation.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Patriots & Patriotism • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the NYC Parks series list. A significant historical month for this entry is November 1718.
Location. 40° 48.139′ N, 73° 58.209′ W. Marker is in Manhattan, New York, in New York County. It is in Bloomingdale. Marker is at the intersection of Riverside Drive and W 106th Street, on the left when traveling north on Riverside Drive. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: New York NY 10025, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Riverside Drive West 105th Street Historic District (within shouting distance of this marker); Shinran Shonin (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Shinran Shonin (within shouting distance of this marker); 352-353 Riverside Drive (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Isidor and Ida Straus (about 600 feet away); Straus Park (about 600 feet away); a different marker also named Straus Park (about 600 feet away); Victor Herbert (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Manhattan.
Regarding Franz Sigel Statue. The original "City of New York Parks and Recreation" marker has been replaced by a "NYC Parks" version.
It is in the same location and differs only in the text of the final two sentences:
"Following conservation of the sculpture in 2004 by the Citywide Monuments Conservation Program—that included the reattachment of the long-salvaged sword—an endowment was established with Riverside Park Fund in memory of Thelma and Alex Schwarz to provide for the monument's care in perpetuity. Ongoing horticultural work along the adjoining hillside provided by Riverside Park Fund beautifies the setting of this historical monument."
Also see . . .
1. The Franz Sigel Monument - Riverside Park at 106th Street. "Daytonian in Manhattan" entry. (Submitted on April 9, 2020, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
2. Franz Sigel. Wikipedia biography. (Submitted on April 9, 2020, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Credits. This page was last revised on June 5, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 29, 2012, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 929 times since then and 117 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 29, 2012, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 4. submitted on June 5, 2023, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 5, 6, 7, 8. submitted on March 29, 2012, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 9. submitted on October 27, 2018, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 10, 11. submitted on March 29, 2012, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.