6 & 7. Pelham Bay Park Sculptures

Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx contains two noteworthy sculptures that tower over parkgoers: the Bronx Victory Memorial and American Boy. The American Boy, designed by French-born artist Louis St. Lannes, was cast in 1932 and depicts a male youth inspired by Archaic Greek architecture. The sculpture was originally part of a classically styled stadium with decorative Olympics-inspired friezes, yet as the structure deteriorated, the stadium was deemed a safety hazard and was subsequently demolished in 1989. Like the Bronx Victory Memorial, American Boy was also subject to vandalism and erosion, yet the sculpture was restored in 2002.

The Bronx Victory Memorial was designed by landscape architect John J. Sheridan and sculptors Belle Kinney and Leopold Scholz in 1932. The memorial commemorates the 947 soldiers from the Bronx who died in World War I and sits adjacent to a Memorial Grove of trees, which is a beautiful walk. The namesake “Lady of Victory” measures 18 feet in height, poised atop a stone globe at the top of a 70-foot column. Limestone reliefs at the bottom of the statue depict regiments of soldiers marching into battle.