UWS Community Board Agrees To Remove Teddy Roosevelt Statue

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — The Upper West Side Community Board 7 Preservation Committee recently reviewed an application and passed a resolution to remove the controversial statue of former President Theodore Roosevelt from outside the entrance of the American Museum of Natural History.

The committee also got a first look at the expected new design of the museum's plaza.

The "Equestrian Statue of Theodore Roosevelt" has stood on Central Park West outside the iconic museum for eighty years.

The statue features Roosevelt in the center seated on a horse with a Black man and an Indigenous man below him on either side. Critics of the statue say that the piece of art puts forth an image of racism and colonization — and does not align with the American Museum of Natural History's mission.

In June 2020, Mayor Bill de Blasio said he supported the call by the museum to remove the "problematic statue" of the 26th president. The Roosevelt family also agreed with the choice to remove the statue, stating that it did not represent the former president's legacy.

The presentation for the Community Board 7 committee on Thursday night was led by Sam Biederman, the chief of staff and assistant commissioner for community outreach at the New York City Parks Department.

Daniel Slippen, a representative from the American Museum of Natural History, also presented on the history of the statue.

"Symbols of systematic racism became even more evident in the wake of the movement for racial justice that emerged after the murder of George Floyd," Slippen said during the presentation. "It has become clear that removing this statue would be a symbol of progress toward an inclusive and equitable community."

Slippen's presertation was followed by architect Rolondo Kraeher, who has been tasked with removing the statue and redesigning the space.

"Removing the statue creates an opportunity for a new concept about inclusivity, openness, and welcomeness," Kraeher said. "This concept is represented by connecting a set of stairs from the sidewalk level to the existing plaza, directly aligned with the main staircase to the entrance doors."

A subtle text will also be carved into the plaza with a brief history of the Roosevelt statue.

Some Upper West Side committee members asked whether the Black and Indigenous men could be removed from the statue to just feature Roosevelt, but both city and museum representatives said no. The two groups overseeing the removal also did not answer where the statue would be relocated to, however, did say that the project and removal would cost a little over $2 million to complete.

At the end of the nearly two-hour discussion, members of the Preservation Committee voted to approve the resolution to remove the Roosevelt statue and accept the presented future designs for the American Museum of Natural History plaza.

Before construction begins, the removal still needs approval from the full Community Board 7, the Landmarks Preservation Committee, and the Public Design Commission. The presentation to the full Upper West Side board will take place in June.

You can watch the full Preservation Committee below: