Civic Virtue Will Be Restored This Spring

The Triumph of Civic Virtue, the ambulatory statue that keeps making headlines, has already arrived at its new home, according to Green-Wood Cemetery's resident blogger.

It will be restored this spring, according to city officials.

The restoration has been made possible with money from the cemetery's conservancy, officials added, stopping the deterioration of a century-old statue that the city did not have the funds to protect.

While the statue was in Queens, no donors either public or private came forward to aid in its restoration.

the city said that allowing the landmarked cemetery to adopt the statue would ensure that it would be cared for properly, and not at city expense. 

"Green-Wood Cemetery is a National Historic Landmark with one of the largest outdoor collections of 19th- and 20th-century statuary, including the monument to James Wall Finn by Frederick MacMonnies," said one city official. "The relocation of Civic Virtue by Frederick MacMonnies to Green Wood is part of a public-private initiative to ensure the long-term preservation of the sculpture, which will be conserved this spring. Civic Virtue will remain fully accessible to the public, and we are working on establishing a vibrant, welcoming public space in Queens while the statue is on loan to Green-Wood.” 

The statue was a magnet for controversy with some officials saying the city should sell it or move it, and others vying to protect it. 

It was also a magnet for bird droppings, and countermeasures taken by the city proved ineffective.