NEW YORK, NY.- The Museum of the City of New York announces a conservation project decades in the making with a two-and-a-half minute documentary film that explores the historical significance of two legendary New Yorkers, statues of whom have adorned the landmark Museum’s Fifth Avenue façade since 1941. The elegant bronze statues of Alexander Hamilton and DeWitt Clinton, designed by noted American sculptor Adolph A. Weinman, are currently being conserved for the first time in their 75-year history. The video provides historical context through interviews with Museum staff, showcases the dramatic removal of the statues from their Fifth Avenue perches, and is the first in a series of short films that will chronicle the conservation efforts carried out by Conservation Solutions, Inc. as well as the reinstallation of the statues, expected later this fall. Watch the video on YouTube or on the Museum’s Facebook page.

The conservation process will be documented online at http://mcny.org/statues, and on social media using the hashtag #amexpreserves and the Museum’s handle @MuseumofCityNY. The conservation of the Alexander Hamilton and DeWitt Clinton statues is sponsored by American Express.

Alexander Hamilton and DeWitt Clinton both played pivotal roles in shaping New York City. Hamilton embodies the rich and turbulent Revolutionary era city as New York’s iconic Founding Father and Clinton is remembered as the visionary behind the Erie Canal. Both are key fixtures in New York at Its Core, the Museum’s signature permanent exhibition, which chronicles all 400-plus years of New York City history – and offers an insightful and comprehensive look at the city’s future – in three interactive main-floor galleries.

The Hamilton and Clinton statues were designed specifically for the Museum's exterior niches by Adolph A. Weinman. Weinman was the sculptor of choice for the celebrated architectural firm McKim Mead & White and was selected to create these particular statues by Museum architect Joseph H. Freedlander. Born in Germany in 1870, Weinman arrived in the U.S. at the age of 10. He studied at the Art Students League and served as an assistant to sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Opening his own studio in 1904, Weinman designed sculptures for many iconic McKim Mead & White buildings in New York City, including the original Pennsylvania Station. He executed public sculpture throughout the nation, including for the Jefferson Memorial and the U.S. Supreme Court, and is the designer of the Walking Liberty Half Dollar and the "Mercury" dime. Mayor Fiorello La Guardia and descendants of Hamilton and Clinton attended a ceremony to unveil the Weinman statues at the Museum on January 14, 1941.

The conservation of the Hamilton and Clinton statues is part of the final stages of a 10-year renovation of the Museum’s historic building. In 2016, the Museum completed a $97 million interior renovation project, bringing climate control to the building for the first time, creating modern galleries, and building state-of-the-art collections storage facilities. The conservation efforts of the Hamilton and Clinton sculptures marks the beginning of the restoration of the building’s elegant brick and marble exterior, which is expected to be completed by 2019.