Trump Wants A 'National Garden Of Heroes' — NYC Already Has One

COMMENTARY

I understand that President Donald Trump has mixed feelings about New York City. Recently, he had lawyers declare in court papers that he was no longer a resident of the city while, just days later, saying the exact opposite in a conference call with the nation's governors. Part of it may stem from a lack of exposure to the city as a whole.

He was born in Queens, spent most of his life in Manhattan and never publicly demonstrated a lot of interest in the other three boroughs. I'm not saying he wasn't interested in them; he just never made a big show of it. And we know how much he likes to make a big show of things.

So it wasn't very surprising to me Friday night when his press office sent out a copy of an executive order that day. Titled "Building and Rebuilding Monuments To American Heroes," the order also commands the creation of the "National Garden of American Heroes."

The thing is, there already is a national garden of American heroes. It's called the "Hall of Fame for Great Americans," and it's located in the Bronx. Specifically, it's on the University Avenue campus of Bronx Community College.

Legendary architect Stanford White designed the hall for New York University's campus in the Bronx. For people who don't know White, he also designed the second (and famous) version of Madison Square Garden, the clubhouse at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club (which might be of interest to the president) and the arch in Washington Square Park.

The hall currently honors about 100 great Americans ranging from George Washington (he was the only person inducted unanimously), Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson (one of the president’s favorite historical figures, so you might think he would’ve been up to the Bronx to visit the statue — but then again, the Bronx) to Mark Twain, George Washington Carver and Booker T. Washington.

There used to be statues for Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. but Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered them removed in 2017 because a Hall of Fame for Great Americans shouldn’t honor people who tried to destroy America and kill Americans in the process.

In his executive order, Trump lists the first 31 people whom should be honored at what he sees as a new garden. He includes the expected people such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and the Wright brothers (all of whom are already honored in the Bronx).

He also inexplicably includes Betsy Ross, whose main claim to fame is that, in 1870, her grandson came up with a story about how she made the first American flag. It's a story that's never been backed up by a shred of evidence and many historians have cast doubt on it.

Of the 31 people on the president’s list, 23 are men and eight are women, 28 are white, three are Black, zero are Asian and zero are Hispanic. I’m not sure I need to mention (given math and all), but zero are Native American.

While there’s actually a good bit of overlap between what Trump wants and what already exists, there are differences. For instance, in the one that exists — unlike the proposed one — there are no people with apparently fictional claims to glory.

That said, the one that exists does have one problem in common with Trump's proposal — a dearth of honors for people of color.

While it does have more women and Black people than are to be found on the president's list, none are Hispanic, Asian or Native American. Part of that can be attributed to the fact that, because of money issues, it has not had any new inductees since 1976.

Here’s the thing: The Hall of Fame, which was dedicated on May 30, 1901, is in bad shape. It is in desperate need of cash because some of the statues are in bad shape; the place just needs an infusion of love and money.

As the organization says on its website, “In recent years, the Hall of Fame has faced ongoing deterioration from water infiltration, failure of materials, and highway and industrial pollution. Damage to the Hall’s 630-foot Colonnade includes cracked tiles and pavers, stained and discolored busts and Tiffany tablets, and deteriorated limestone.”

Repair costs are estimated at $12 million.

So maybe instead of creating a commission to build a garden that duplicates one that already exists, the president could direct that money to be spent on renovating what’s already there. It would probably be cheaper than a new commission and a new garden.

And then, next May, when the Hall of Fame celebrates its 120th birthday, President Trump (or former president, depending on what happens in November) could head to the Bronx for the celebration.

If you just want to donate on your own, you can go here and donate to the hall and help it along.

Colin Miner, Patch's Manager of News and Content Partnerships, covered New York City for many years, working for several places before arriving at Patch.