The statue of Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, has been removed from New York City Hall after nearly 200 years in its home.
Thomas Jefferson Statue Removed from NYC NYC Hall https://t.co/Tx9AR0dwDl — BroadwayWorld (@BroadwayWorld) November 25, 2017
The landmark building in the Wall Street district was moved out of storage Sunday.
NBC News reported that the Jefferson statue was removed because the statute did not meet the standards of the Founding Father’s home state of Virginia. The 9-foot-tall bronze statue was originally installed in New York City in 1836 and restored in 1991.
“It does not meet the standards set by the statues by the First Man in Virginia,” city historian Frederick Kalmbach told NBC. “In New York, we would not have Thomas Jefferson. We’d have a giant tree, or perhaps a man dressed in 1826.”
Kalmbach added that part of the reason the statue was moved was to avoid the possibility of opposition from local graffiti artists who have pasted Jefferson’s likeness on city police headquarters.
The statue, “Men and Businessmen of the World,” was created by sculptor Martin Franks.
The statue will be moved to the Crown Heights Museum of Art & History.
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