NEW YORK (AP) - A statue in New York City is getting a new pedestal 83 years after a city parks engineer requested it.
The Wall Street Journal reports work on the statue of William H. Seward at Madison Square Park’s southern entrance will begin next week.
Seward served as a U.S. Senator, as New York’s governor and as secretary of state under Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson. He’s known for negotiating the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867.
His statue was dedicated in 1876.
In 1936, a city parks engineer submitted a work order to replace the “hopelessly disintegrated” marble base, recommending granite instead.
Madison Square Park Conservancy leaders say the project will cost $600,000.
The project is part of the conservancy’s $8 million effort to restore and upgrade the park.
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Information from: The Wall Street Journal, http://www.wsj.com
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