Vandalized statue to be reinstated at Congress Park
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » The statue of a Union soldier, broken during a recent incident of vandalism, will be reinstated at Congress Park in Saratoga Springs, according to the city’s Department of Public Works.
“The Department of Public Works is actively working on how to repair the damage or fabricate a replacement statue,” Commissioner of Public Works Anthony “Skip” Scirocco said during the Tuesday evening meeting of the Saratoga Springs City Council.
An outpouring of anger over the destruction of this piece of the city’s history, as well as a commitment to rebuilding the memorial, has been expressed by the community in the days following the incident.
The Civil War monument, located near the park’s main entrance from Broadway, memorializes the volunteers of the 77th Regiment of New York State, also known as the Bemis Heights Battalion.
“On Thursday, July 16 vandals destroyed the historic 77th Infantry Regiment monument that resides in Congress Park,” Scirocco said, sharing that the memorial was first dedidated in 1875.
At the time, veterans from the 77th Regiment donated $3,000 for the installation of the monument, which was a catalog item offered by J. W. Fiske & Company of NewYork City, the most prominent American manufacturer of decorative cast iron and cast zinc in the second half of the nineteenth century.
Nearly 150 years later, community members are once again donating funds for the monument, this time for its reinstallation follow
ing last week’s act of vandalism.
“Repair or replacement costs are to be determined, as an insurance claim has been made,” Scirocco said, “but this is a great caring community that loves its public spaces, so a number of individuals and organizations have already reached out to make donations in support of the work necessary to rectify the vandalism.”
The Department of Public Works has identified two identical statues from the J. W. Fiske & Company foundry, in Canton, Mass. and in Mansfield, Ohio, Scirocco said, noting that another one may be located in Albany. If necessary, one of these monuments could be laser scanned to help with restoring the Spa City statue.
Scirocco described the vandalism as extensive, reporting that the statue was shattered into little, tiny pieces.
“It was unfortunate what they did, but, again, this is a resilient community and immediately people got behind us. They were very upset and they really want to see it restored and put back. So we’re going to put back what was there,” he said. “I promise you, that’s going to happen.”
In further discussion during the meeting, Public Safety Commissioner Robin Dalton suggested that an addition be made to the monument site to acknowledge the community’s efforts in 2020 to reinstall the statue.
Others have suggested to the city that if the pieces of the original statue cannot be used again, that they should go to a local museum.
Anyone who wishes to donate or offer assistance regarding the statue’s reinstatement can contact the Department of Public Works executive assistant to the commissioner Rachael Fragomeni at rachael. fragomeni@ saratoga-springs.org.
Dalton also gave an update of the ongoing police investigation of this matter, sharing that the Saratoga Springs Police Department has gone through countless hours of surveillance video from in and around Congress Park, are patrolling and canvassing the area and have sent several pieces of the statue for fingerprint and DNA testing.
In addition to the funds being donated for the statue’s return, Dalton said the city has been contacted by two different groups who had fundraised money for a reward for information leading to the arrest of whomever is responsible for the destruction of the monument. The cash reward is in the amount of $2,000, the city announced on Monday in a press release.
The city asks that members of the public with any information on this incident contact the Saratoga Springs Police Department at (518) 584-1800.