Sunday, November 22, 2009

When Fat Boy was a Manhattanite

From the Daily News:

...for weeks there raged the Battle of the Sexes in one volcanic public hearing after another as city fathers pondered the appropriateness of installing in a public place Frederick MacMonnies' vision of goodness victorious, which by now the whole town had nicknamed Rough Boy.

Hylan made a large point of siding with the irked critics – "I don't claim to know much about art," he said, "but I know I don't like the looks of this chap" – but in the end the Board of Estimate voted yea, given that the statue had cost $60,000 anyway, and on April 20, 1922, workers hoisted Civic Virtue into place outside City Hall. Where he remained for nearly 20 years, an eternal municipal emblem, sort of, until he got moved to Queens.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

They should move 'Rough Boy' and his battered women, to the top of the Fresh Kills land fill.

Anonymous said...

No, Fat Boy is a symbol of how little our Borough President cares about historical preservaiton.

Right outside her office window, a statue is crumbing.

georgetheatheist said...

Please tell me why he was moved to Queens. Who decided? Details please.

Sergey Kadinsky said...

Why was Queens chosen? Simple- because the other boroughs refused.

Queens Crapper said...

Here you go.