Sunday, March 18, 2007

Monuments to be proud of

We were going to go around and take photos of Queens monuments that are known to be in decrepit condition this weekend, but thankfully, venturing out in this chilly weather was not required. The Parks Department has been good enough to chronicle them for us:

Alfred J. Kennedy Memorial Flagstaff

Bigger Bird

Civic Virtue

Flanders Field Flagstaff

Peter Chapetto Flagstaff

Rev. Matthew J. Crosson Tablet

Weeping Beech Tree Landmark Plaque

Wilbur E. Colyer Square

Whiting Square Memorial

Peeling paint, graffiti, cracks? No problem. The Parks Department loves them just the way they are. So much so that they photographed them in that condition and posted them on their website so the world can see how NYC treats both its public art and the memory of its heroes. (Maybe someone can explain why the photo of the last one is of a big rock and the description says its a comfort station in the Bronx...)

Photo from NYC Parks website.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

The inscription is just a touch of Parks Dept's subtle humor: It wants to claim it was New Yorks first "Crapper". It was to be named the "Bronx Crapper".

And, it is a takeoff on Parks' official motto regarding responsibility: "Piss in it!"

Anonymous said...

Adrian Benepe needs to learn Photoshop.

Anonymous said...

Pretty darn sad that the Parks Department would put photos of these monuments in this condition on their website. But at least it honestly shows how they take care of our parks.

Anonymous said...

I propose a monument for the first dog bite victim resulting from Benape's relaxing of the leash law in public parks!