Community Corner
Gay Rights Monument In The West Village Gets Restoration Work
The "Gay Liberations" monument in the West Village was cleaned and recoated on Thursday by Parks Department conservators and apprentices.
WEST VILLAGE, NY — An iconic gay rights monument in the West Village was restored on Thursday as part of a citywide conservation program from the NYC Parks Department.
The "Gay Liberation" figures, which sit in Christopher Park on 204 W. 4th St, were cleaned and recoated by NYC Park's conservators and seasonal apprentices using a special pigmented lacquer and wax formulation that preserves the artwork and its aesthetic.
They also repainted the benches that are part of the artwork.
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The monument was created in 1992 by acclaimed artist George Segal to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Riots at the nearby Stonewall Inn. The riots are considered the beginning of the modern Gay Rights movement.
Segal was an American painter and sculptor who grew up in the Bronx.
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In 2016, Christopher Park was federalized and the monument became the first U.S. National Monument dedicated to LGBTQ+ history.
The NYC Parks' Citywide Monuments was launched in 1997 and will work through the summer to restore monuments in the five boroughs.
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