Adopt-A-Monument Highlight: Simon Bolivar Fountain

Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated in the United States from September 15 – October 15, in recognition of the contributions of Hispanic people. In a city where 2.5 million people, or nearly 30% of the population is of Hispanic descent, public art is a critical medium to elevate the histories and culture of this diverse population. The impressive monument to Simón Bolívar on Central Park South was conserved in 1988 as part of MAS’s Adopt-A-Monument Program and is maintained by MAS in partnership with the Central Park Conservancy.

Simón Bolívar (1783-1830) known as “El Libertador,” was a Venezuelan military and political leader who led the former colonies of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bolivia, which was named after him, to independence from Spain. Sally James Farnham (1869-1943) was selected to create the monument from 20 applicants in an international competition sponsored by the Venezuelan government. When it was cast in 1919, it was the largest bronze monument sculpted by a woman. Farnham received the Order of Bolívar, the highest civilian honor from the Venezuelan government for the sculpture.

The monument was dedicated on April 19, 1921 at its original location on “Bolívar Hill,” now known as Summit Rock, the highest natural elevation in Central Park near 83rd Street, where an earlier (and aesthetically unpopular) monument to the military leader had once stood. President Warren G. Harding spoke at the ceremony, urging for diplomacy within the Americas.

The monument was later moved in 1951 to Central Park South and Sixth Avenue and re-dedicated with a speech from President Harry Truman read by then-Parks Commissioner Robert Moses. By then, Sixth Avenue had been renamed the “Avenue of the Americas” in honor of Latin American nations and in promotion of “Pan-American ideals and principles.” The Simón Bolívar monument was joined by nearby equestrian statues of two other Latin American liberators, the Argentine general José San Martín and the Cuban poet and activist José Martí (each has a replica in Buenos Aires and Havana, respectively).

The “heroic scale” equestrian statue and the coat of arms were sculpted in bronze, and stands upon a polished black granite pedestal, a replacement from the original. Steve Tatti of Tatti Conservators completed the 1988 Adopt-A-Monument conservation, which was supported with a grant from CVG International America.

Visitors to the grand equestrian statue are reminded of the leader’s pivotal contributions to Latin American independence, as well as the significance of this history on the United States. Central Park’s Simón Bolívar demonstrates how public art elevates community by helping us honor the past and our diverse communities and shared histories.