2. The American Boy Statue at the Pelham Bay Park Track Was Part of a Demolished Facility
Overlooking the Pelham Bay Park track is the American Boy statue, a Greek-style statue of a nude man sheathed in a cloth. Part of the inscription on the statue reads, “the piece was intended to reflect an ideal of youth” and is dedicated to a man named Isaac Rice. He was born in Germany and was accomplished in a number of fields, including business, music, writing, inventing and chess. After his death in 1917, his wife, Julia, donated $1 million to erect a recreational facility in memory of her husband.
The facility opened in the 1920s, and included “Olympic-inspired friezes” by Charles Cary Rumsey and the American Boy statue. However, the city could not afford the facility’s upkeep, and it was demolished in 1989 after it was deemed hazardous to the public. In 2002, the statue was restored and placed at the entrance of the track field.