By Carol Tannenhauser
It was hard to imagine the American Museum of Natural History without the statue of Theodore Roosevelt on his horse standing sentry at the Central Park West and West 80th Street museum entrance. After all, Roosevelt had been there for over 80 years.
“It’s rough,” a longtime AMNH security guard told the Rag the other day, as he patrolled the plaza where the statue had stood. “It’s like they took away a piece of the museum.” He misses it, he said, and so do a lot of other people.
But a lot of other people don’t miss it at all. You may remember that the statue didn’t leave voluntarily — it was run out of town by forces set in motion by the murder of George Floyd in May, 2020, and the widespread recognition that followed of the structural racism that subtly and not-so-subtly shapes, influences, and controls the lives of African Americans.
In June, 2020, The Washington Post wrote: “The museum’s leadership said in a statement that it was ‘profoundly moved’ by the national reckoning over racial injustice following the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, in police custody and has ‘watched as the attention of the world and the country has increasingly turned to statues and monuments as powerful and hurtful symbols of systemic racism.'”
The problem with the statue was not Theodore Roosevelt himself, although it was later revealed that he had some racist beliefs about Blacks and Native Americans and an affinity for eugenics. It wasn’t just the presence of an African man and a Native American walking on either side of the horse that caused concern, though they were half naked. It was the arrangement of these figures — the “composition” of the sculpture — with Teddy towering above the others. The triangle was unmistakable, with Teddy at the apex.
The museum asked the city, on whose land it sat, for permission to remove the statue. The city agreed, drawing on a 2018 mayoral panel, which stated, “Height is power in public art, and Roosevelt’s stature on his noble steed visibly expresses dominance and superiority over the Native American and African figures.” The family of Theodore Roosevelt agreed, though his great-great-grandson, Theodore Roosevelt V, suggested it should not just be hidden away in a warehouse. “Rather than burying a troubling work of art, we ought to learn from it,” he said. “It is fitting that the statue is being relocated to a place where its composition can be recontextualized to facilitate difficult, complex, and inclusive discussions.”
That “place” is Medora, North Dakota, population 129, where the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library is being built, with an expected opening date of July 4, 2026, the 250th anniversary of America’s founding. After the statue’s disassembled elements were removed by crane on a balmy January night in 2022, they were shipped to Medora, where they remain today.
The agreement with the city allowed the TR Library “to relocate the statue for storage while considering a display that would enable it to serve as an important tool to study the nation’s past.” The library said that “it will establish an advisory council composed of historians, scholars, artists and representatives from the Indigenous, Tribal and Black communities to guide the recontextualization of the statue.”
WSR reached out to a representative of the library and was told only that “the statue is in a safe and secure location in North Dakota”…and that, “at this time, there are no plans yet developed for displaying the statue. Happy to keep you posted in the future.”
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I just cannot believe how much better things are now that the statue is gone. The neighborhood just seems so much of a better place without it. Now all we need to do is spend another few million dollars to get rid of the Columbus statue on 59th and all our problems will be solved. Kudos to our local politicians for tackling the real problems in NYC!
It will be even better after we rename Columbus Ave and, hey, by the way, the Dutch were heavily involved in the slave trade so we better rename Amsterdam Ave as well.
You’re clearly intending to be sarcastic, but renaming Columbus Avenue isn’t a bad idea at all. I’ve never understood why so many places and things in the United States are named after someone who never once set foot on any piece of land that would become part of the United States.
As a woman I’m campaigning against the name Broadway. So dehumanizing.
If you’d bothered to read the article that you’re commenting on, you’d know that the statue was not removed at the behest of “local politicians”, but because the museum’s leadership asked that it be removed.
Don’t be naive. Like all museums, the AMNH is looking to its ongoing fund-raising efforts. The leadership has its index fingure up to meansure the prevailing wind, which pretty much indicated the current politically correct
current. Existing and prospectivve onors, both small and large, no doubt registered their influence.
Why would someone bother to read the article before posting an opinion about it? That’s not how people do things these days.
If you followed the story for last 5 years you would know the Museum was beset by the crowd who creates chaos if you don’t bend the knee. Museum ‘leadership’ is anything except leaders.
Do you really think this will improve the lives of those affected by racism? Tearing down this beautiful work of art was a simplistic, gutless and worthless gesture.
The thing that really bothered me about the statue that’s rarely mentioned is how he was turning with his hand on his gun, as if ready to shoot. The whole thing had a confrontational aspect that seemed out of place at a museum dedicated to supporting and celebrating the natural world.
And, frankly, the steps look better without it.
Yeah but how do you think all the taxidermy animals got in there?
Really? You are awake? And you feel that it’s so much better without it. For decades it was there. People enjoyed it until a very few voices started using the R ward (race, race, race, racist), and it was removed. So glad you feel so much better about the museum, the ‘hood and yourself. At least some good came out of this – NOT!
With Teddy now gone, I’ve discovered that the poop, pee, melted ice cream, and vomit on the steps really didn’t come from his trusty steed he sat atop.
“…as if ready to shoot. The whole thing had a confrontational aspect that seemed out of place at a museum dedicated to supporting and celebrating the natural world.”
LOL are you kidding me? The entire place is filled with dead animals that were shot!
At first I thought how ridiculous it was to remove it, then I saw the photo of the statue in this article and I immediately cringed. The white savior with his African and indigenous companions beneath him. The statue is straight out of the era of eugenics.
How awful that image was, in front of a museum for children no doubt. It was the right call to remove it. There are things in society we don’t think twice about until somebody calls it out, then we wonder how ever did we let it go on for so long? I’m glad we’ve progressed to a place where young people voice concerns about racism and society takes it seriously. Only a generation ago adults would have rolled their eyes as if talking about racism was being dramatic.
The removal will go down in history as one of the most gutless and cowardly acts during the era of unhinged hysterics that was the cult of wokeness. Ranked right next to MLB moving its All-star game from Georgia after they passed a voter integrity bill. Georgia’s voting rules, by the way, are far more liberal than California’s.
You mean a voter suppression bill, right?
Every registered voter in California is sent a mail ballot. Voters in heavily minority areas in Georgia are free to wait on two hour lines to vote.
And, per the legislation you referenced, no water for them!
Because what’s on paper and how voting is administered are often two different things, and republican propaganda about voting is a third thing entirely.
Army bases, too. My mom was born on Fort Bragg, which is now called something else because Bragg must have ticked some people off as well. It’s a piece of our family’s history, so we still call it Fort Bragg. I hope the Roosevelt family honors Teddy as they see fit, too
It’s sad you know so little of your heritage. Braxton Bragg was a Confederate general — read: traitor — who helped lead an armed rebellion against the federal government to preserve human chattel slavery.
So yeah, I guess he “ticked some people off.” Plus his side was defeated in the Civil War, making him an actual loser to boot.
The last time the AMNH asked for a donation I turned them down, saying I like Teddy Roosevelt.
…Not that I have much money. … One solution might be to put up a new statue of Teddy Roosevelt that everybody in the whole world can agree on.
It’s rather naive to believe there’s anything at all that the “…whole world can agree on.” That being said, a new statue of Teddy Roosevelt that doesn’t have racist elements would be a good thing.
I’m not expecting an answer at this point, but it’s occurred to me that there’s a role for a scholar in telling us the original intent of the design. … That’s a rational reply above, though the article quotes how determining what to caption the statue for when the public is allowed to see it again is not going to be a simple thing.
So glad Teddy statue is gone, with him positioned atop a horse as the white savior/enslaver of Native Americans and Blacks. Thank you for taking this piece of racist propaganda away!!!
That statue showed Roosevelt’s true colors. It reflected his attitudes and actions, and should have remained to illustrate history (which isn’t always pretty, but appropriate for a historical museum).
The statue was there for decades. Did you think it was “a piece of racist propaganda” till 3 years ago? Or it just dawned on you when woke activists decided it was racist?
If you look hard enough, you can find a problem with everything…
But you really didn’t have to look hard to find the problem here. Have you checked the photo above?
The photo is slanted – literally. A perfect example of and metaphor for: your perspective determines what you see.
The statue was a fact. What people saw in it varied. Which the museum contextualized quite well, with diverse facts and opinions in the few years before it was taken down. If one bothered to listen instead of snap judge.
And a hundred years from now, people will cancel many things that we, today, think are important and so non “provoking.”
You can learn from history and strive to do things differently, but you can’t change it.
Re Teddy. If you read Edmund Morris’s trilogy, you’ll learn that, as a conservationist, he effectively started the national parks system.
A great President, who, as all of us have, had traits that today are looked upon differently from when he was alive.
My mother used to say, “Even murderers stop at red lights.” Meaning it’s irrelevant if he started national parks; we can still hold him accountable for his racism.
I miss the statue, although I see why it was problematic. I’d like to see another Roosevelt statue there.
In general, I would like a lot less hysterical freaking out over statues and names, and a lot more common sense focus on serious problems like infrastructure and housing.
Whenever I see some politician or activist group whip up a frenzy of activity around something that’s purely symbolic, I just assume an election is coming up.
I believe the intent of the statue was that he was helping guiding them to a better life. There’s a classic quote associated with Teddy of him saying “follow me” instead of “charge” when leading into battle. Meanwhile FDR Dr. is still a thing even though he put Japanese people into camps…. But whatever.
the issue is not Teddy Roosevelt, the issue was this particular statue. If there was a statue of FDr signing an order putting Japanese in camps, or in some other way commemorating the event, i don’t think it would be left standing,
Despite the negative feedbsck, Roosevel;t WAS one of our memorable Presidentsd and that shouod have suffiiced. He was NOT remembered forhis racism, but for his opening of the AMerican West to our largely Eastern population! My children became familiar with this President and his positive contributions to American history in their many visitis as childrenkn and adults to the Museum. I think he should be returned! Who among us is so pure that we have not erred? Julia Fine
This whole situation is embarrassing. Someone has to be the leader, and someone the follower. TR was the leader. The other two were the followers. If one made a statue of Obama with two of his cabinet secretaries, Obama would be in the more central, leadership position. It was just done differently back then. Would people prefer that the statue was just of TR and not recognize the input of the other two at all?
There are so many problems in the world. Trump, disease, what to do with/for migrants, inflation, Trump, legitimate racism and sexism (this is not legitimate racism), climate change, abortion rights, Trump, etc. But this is what we focus on? The rest of America is laughing at us. Yet we talk down to them.
I miss the statue. Removing it was performative nonsense.
Banishing it to a village in North Dakota where no one will ever see it again seems like a petty, vindictive slap in the face. At the very least it should stayed in a museum in New York. Perhaps the one it had stood in front of.
I’ve actually been to Medora, the town in North Dakota where they’re moving it. Theodore Roosevelt National Park is nearby. It’s a beautiful park, with badlands and wildlife including wild horses. Medora itself has an interesting historic “chateau.” It’s worth a visit!
So dumb to remove statues. You can’t change history.
You can’t, but you also don’t have to celebrate the bad parts.
I’m going to assume most people here have never traveled to Europe or you would totally lose your sh*t when you see some of their gorgeous “offensive” artwork…
Woke won.
I pray that someday common sense returns and we realize how foolish actions like removing that historical piece of NYC that was.
Dunno about that. How would you feel about people parading around with confederate or nazi flags? Both groups have had rallies here, so part of NYC history? And how do you think Native Americans or African Americans have been thinking of their portrayal in that sculpture all these years while that historical piece of NYC was on display? Or do you not care?
I don’t care. It was a reactive and pandering gesture.
History is history. You cant alter it by hiding representations of it in North Dakota.
Perhaps it is time for the 99% of us who are not offended by everything to stop catering to the 1% who are…
Wow. Guess you haven’t noticed that African Americans are more than 1% of the population. Nice.
I loved that statue & saddened by its disappearance – its iconic