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QC05052016

20 The QUEE NS Courier • MAY 5, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com Former ‘Civic Virtue’ statue site rededicated to women By Robert Pozarycki rpozarycki@qns.com/@robbpoz Workers have begun transforming the former site of the controversial Civic Virtue statue near Queens Borough Hall in Kew Gardens into a public green space, according to Queens Borough President Melinda Katz. Contractors are repairing damaged stone work at the base of the fountain upon which the statue — now a resident of Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn — once stood at the corner of Union Turnpike and Queens Boulevard. New landscaping, lighting and benches will also be installed. The $720,000 project also includes the installation of a plaque rededicating the site in honor of all the women of Queens, Katz said in an announcement Tuesday. For many, it’s symbolic of the removal of Civic Virtue itself, as the marble sculpture of a naked man standing atop two female sirens was considered sexist. “This restoration project will create a fitting tribute in a prominent location in our borough’s civic center, dedicated to the women of Queens,” Katz said. “The site will soon host a visible, meaningful tribute to the women of Queens and become a public space utilized and enjoyed by all.” Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz and state Senator Leroy Comrie also expressed approval of the project in statements on May 3. “This new public space will now be able to be enjoyed by everyone, and will contribute to the quality of life enjoyed by the residents of our borough,” Koslowitz said. “It is a testament to the dedication and commitment of these outstanding public servants (Katz and Koslowitz) that Queens residents will have a beautiful, newly restored public space to enjoy,” Comrie added. Commissioned in 1909 by then- Mayor George McClellan Jr., Civic Virtue was designed by sculptor Frederick MacMonnies and architect Thomas Hastings and was originally placed outside of City Hall. It was controversial from the beginning, as many questioned the use of a male figure to represent virtue and female figures to represent vice and corruption. Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia had the statue moved away from City Hall in 1940; according to reports, he hated looking at the statue’s backside while traveling to and from work every day. The statue was moved to a location near Borough Hall after its completion. In 2012, after protests from residents and elected officials who found Civic Virtue offensive, the city had it moved from Borough Hall to Green-Wood Cemetery, where MacMonnies is buried. The statue removal and restoration at the cemetery cost the city $100,000. The city Department of Design and Construction is directing the restoration of the Kew Gardens site, which is expected to be completed in the spring of 2017. THE HISTORY OF NORTHEAST QUEENS Lecture and Discussion Douglaston/Littleneck 249-01 Northern Boulevard, Little Neck 14660-3/16 Saturday, May 7 3:00 p.m. 718-225-8414 Train: LIRR /Bus: Q12, N20, N21 Jason D. Antos, veteran Queens journalist and author of five well-received books on the borough of Queens, will lecture on the history of Northeast Queens (covering neighborhoods such as Flushing, College Point, Whitestone, Auburndale, Bayside, Douglaston, Little Neck, and others). Accompanying his lecture will be a slide show presentation featuring rarely-seen images of this overlooked part of Queens. He also will be signing copies of his latest book, co-authored with veteran educator and history writer Constantine E. Theodosiou, entitled Corona: The Early Years (with rare images and a foreword written by celebrated actor and Corona native Burt Young). Light refreshments will be served. Seating is limited; first-come, first served. Admission is free. www.queenslibrary.org This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Douglaston/Little Neck Community Library in conjunction with the Douglaston and Little Neck Historical Society (www.dlnhs.org) and the Bayside Historical Society (www.baysidehistorical.org). Queens Library is an independent, not-for-profit corporation and is not affiliated with any other library system. THEY SANK THE LUSITANIA Documentary Film Screening and Discussion Stuart Hersh will present and discuss his famous documentary, They Sank the Lusitania in observance of the May 7, 1915 sinking of the British liner by a German U-Boat off the coast of Ireland. Almost 1,200 passengers, many of them Americans, perished. This tragedy 101 years ago was one of the seminal events that ultimately led to the United States entry in 1917 into World War I, aka “The Great War” and “The War to End All Wars.” Using archival film, Stuart’s criticallyacclaimed documentary originally aired as part of the CBS Network’s television series “World War I” and was viewed by millions. Please join us as we observe this infamous yet significant day in both American and world history by revisiting this remarkable film with its equally remarkable director. Light refreshments will be served. Seating is limited; first-come, first served. Thursday, May 5 4:00 p.m. Douglaston-Little Neck 249-01 Northern Boulevard, Little Neck 718-225-8414 Train: LIRR / Bus: Q12, N20/21 14249-3/16 Admission is free. www.queenslibrary.org This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Douglaston/Little Neck Community Library in conjunction with the Douglaston and Little Neck Historical Society (www.dlnhs.org). Queens Library is an independent, not-for-profit corporation and is not affiliated with any other library system. THE COURIER/File photo The fenced-off former site of the Civic Virtue statue in Kew Gardens.


QC05052016
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