Newport This Week

Group Proposes Restoring, Relocating Vanderbilt Memorial



The commemorative monument has been relocated far from the curb on Broadway and is now mere steps from a home’s front door.

The commemorative monument has been relocated far from the curb on Broadway and is now mere steps from a home’s front door.

When the monument built in honor of Alfred Gwynne Vander­bilt was erected on Broadway in the early 20th century, it received national acclaim for its exquisite detail and was considered a fitting tribute to the late magnate. Now, the statue sits dilapidated and de­caying, with many pieces eroded by time or lost to vandalism.

A group of local citizens has pro­posed to restore and relocate the statue from a small park on Broad­way to the corner of Bellevue Ave­nue and Memorial Boulevard. The self-appointed committee believes the effort would provide more public access to the statue and in­crease awareness about Vanderbilt and the city’s storied and artistic culture.

“I felt that it was time for a group of people to get together to address the condition of the monument and try to bring it back to the way it looked originally,” said Federico Santi, a committee member. “We think it needs to be in a more prom­inent place than stuck in the back of a park that most people don’t even notice when you go by it.”

The Vanderbilt memorial was designed by artist Eugene Morah­an and placed on Broadway in the years following the businessman’s death aboard the RMS Lusitania in 1915. The original work depicted an athletic youth reigning in two fervent thoroughbred horses in bronze sculpture set upon a cylin­drical pedestal and a large, work­ing horse trough attached to an octagonal, rose granite base. At the time of the statue’s creation, the horse and carriage were still a common form of transportation, and for years the monument pro­vided drinking water to the thirsty equines carrying their masters up and down Broadway.

In the mid-20th century, the me­morial was moved off Broadway to a small park nearby, and in the pro­cess, the holes where water was pumped to the trough were filled and the base replaced with con­crete, with the original pieces sold off by the city. More recently, the sculpture of the determined boy atop one of the horses was stolen, and the statue now sits tucked away, riderless and deteriorating with time.

“It’s sad to see it in its current condition,” said Paul Szapary, Van­derbilt’s great nephew and also a committee member. “If you’ve seen photographs of it when it was new, it was quite elaborate and a very, very attractive statue. It’s unfortunate that the rider has been ripped off, and I think the base needs some work. It’s just too bad. I think it’s a wonderful asset to Newport.”

Vanderbilt was known as an avid sportsman and a prominent lover of horses, and his memorial was commissioned by 50 friends upon his death. A plaque on the piece still seen today bears a small dedi­cation to Vanderbilt’s memory.

The committee proposing the project consists of Santi; Szapary and his wife, Diana; Paul Miller, cu­rator emeritus of the Preservation Society of Newport County; Linda Gordon, who has experience in his­toric monument relocation and res­toration, and Harle Tinney, whose family purchased the sculpture’s original granite base and corbel. The group has met several times and been joined by Scott Wheeler, Newport superintendent of parks, grounds and forestry. Wheeler has been supportive of the committee, according to members.

Three companies have been approached to complete the pro­posed relocation and restoration, which includes reopening the holes in the trough, recutting the miss­ing base and corbel, replacing the missing bronze elements from the sculptures, redesigning the male figure to replicate its original in­carnation and ensuring water flow to the statue. The effort would be privately funded, and the commit­tee plans to approach foundations, private parties and clubs between America and England to secure the necessary resources to complete the work. An endowment fund is envisioned to cover the cost of fu­ture maintenance expenses.

“It is just in a state of complete disrepair,” said Santi. “We know relocating and restoring it is a heavy lift, but we’re willing to see it through.”

The corner at Bellevue Avenue and Memorial Boulevard, where the monument is proposed to be moved, has the capability to allow for water flow to the statue, and is currently owned by the state.

The proposal has been met with mixed reaction thus far. When the committee presented the idea to the Off Broadway Neighborhood Association at a meeting in De­cember, many were in agreement, however, others said the statue should be simply restored and re­main at its current site. On Jan. 12, the City Council unanimously vot­ed to receive communication from the committee proposing the stat­ue’s restoration and move. “The wealth of the city’s culture should be brought to the public’s atten­tion again,” said Miller. “This piece is both interesting artistically and as a representative of civic pride and of the city and community’s appreciation for Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt, for his personal quali­ties, his civic involvement and his sportsmanship. To bring that mon­ument would be a wonderful attri­bute and a wonderful addition to the city’s urban landscape.”

Vanderbilt was a famous figure whose family name goes hand-in- hand with Newport and the city’s history. Szapary believes the cur­rent inhabitants of the city Vander­bilt called home would welcome it.

“I think it would be appropriate if his statue was in better shape,” Szapary said. “I think the public would appreciate it. If it can be repaired, I think a lot of people would like to see it and it could be an attraction.”

3 responses to “Group Proposes Restoring, Relocating Vanderbilt Memorial”

  1. M.A. Bulmer says:

    My comments are reflected in the title of a recent book: “Vanderbilt:The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty”.

    Let the statue fall as did the so-called dynasty.

  2. Rolland Everitt says:

    This would be a nice centerpiece for the Historic Spring property, which is now just an eyesore.

  3. Jamie Comstock says:

    I think it would be great to see it restored and moved to the proposed new location. In the summer animals could drink from it again as was intended. The life of AGV and his heroism as the Lusitania went done are well worth memorializing in the heart of Newport.

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