Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

PHOTOS: World's Fair Statue Restored at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park

By Katie Honan | March 8, 2016 2:44pm
 The statue was built for the 1964 World's Fair.
The statue was built for the 1964 World's Fair.
View Full Caption
DNAinfo/Katie Honan

CORONA — Another piece of art installed at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park has been restored to its former shine by the Parks Department.

"Freedom of the Human Spirit," a 28-foot statue that depicts a man and woman soaring towards the sky, flanked by wild swans, was created by Marshall Fredericks for the 1964-1965 World's Fair.

He had also built "The Astronomer" for the 1939-1940 World's Fair.

Although it originally stood in what was known as the "Court of the States," the statue was relocated near the Unisphere in 1996 to accommodate construction of the USTA center, according to the Parks Department. 

Work on the statue took about a month, officials said. (DNAinfo/Katie Honan)

Its restoration, which began last summer, brought back its shine and luster with an abrasive cleaning and patination. 

Physical work took about a month, but preparation from city agencies tasked with restoring city sculptures took longer.

For example, they had to approve the proper patina shade for the statue with interviews with the director and conservator of the Marshall Fredericks Museum to make sure they had the right hue of green, according to the Parks Department. (Fredericks died in 1998.)

Parks Department officials presented their restoration process this week to the city's Design Commission, noting the process they undertook to properly restore it. 

/>The statue was moved in 1996 near the Unisphere. (DNAinfo/Katie Honan)