2025 March :: Hermon A. MacNeil

Archive for March, 2025

Mar

Pony Express Statue Repairs

Posted by: Dan Neil Leininger, Webmaster | Comments (0)

The Weather takes its toll on

Pony Express Statue.

A large piece of granite is broken off the 45-ton base of the Pony Express Rider statue in August, 2024 in Downtown, St. Joseph. Cameron Montemayor | News-Press NOW

Council approves funds for Pony Express statue repairs

Cameron Montemayor, of News~Press Now writes:

“After more than 85 years, Mother Nature is beginning to take a toll on a longtime centerpiece of Downtown and symbol of St. Joseph’s history.

The Pony Express Monument has welcomed residents to Downtown St. Joseph on Frederick Avenue since it was first constructed in 1938, but decades of exposure are causing the massive granite slab that holds the bronze statue to deteriorate, compromising the entire structure.”

It did not look that way in 2013 when I visited the statue.

2013 ~ The Pony Express at St Joseph, Missouri. Dan Leininger, webmaster. After visiting it many times as a small boy, The Pony Express is NOW part of Dan’s ongoing research into his ‘great Uncle’ Hermon Atkins MacNeil.

“I don’t know exactly how long it takes for water to damage granite, but it has finally won the battle. … If (water) finds a crack, a hole, anything that it can get into, it will eventually destroy whatever it’s getting into.”

Jeff Atkins St. Joseph Assistant Parks Director

“The two-piece granite base weighs in at a whopping 45 tons. Various sections of the granite base are cracking or falling off altogether, creating large holes that will only continue to get worse over time. The statue was first constructed in 1938 and officially opened to the public in 1940.

It’s a long COLD ride of REPAIRS ahead ~dnl

Now, parks officials are laying the groundwork to ensure its preservation. The bronze statue will have to be lifted and separated before the granite base is removed and replaced with a new custom-made structure. Granite for the project will be supplied from Vermont.

The St. Joseph City Council is expected to vote on a contract with Brooner Construction and Crane for the project at its next meeting Sept. 3, opening the door for the project to move forward.

“That will allow them a full 13-month window to do the project,” Atkins said. “People just don’t have 45-ton pieces of granite laying around with the Pony Express wording. It takes time to get something like that done. You’ve got to essentially build something.”

The replacement project comes with a costly price tag: $367,269 in American Rescue Plan Act funds will be budgeted to create and install the new base.

“VanVickle Monuments here in town is also partnering with Brooner so we’ve got a local expert that’s going to be working with the statue,” Atkins said.

Between the monument’s historical significance to St. Joseph and the city’s centennial celebration set for 2027, a newly-repaired statue will compliment a variety of planned Civic Center Park upgrades across the street, including extensive repairs to sidewalks, the fountain and replacement of the west-facing park balustrade with a new stairwell.

“People from all over come to St. Joseph to visit not only the monument for pictures, but they go to the Pony Express Museum,” Atkins said. “Some of us who have grown up here in St. Joe, we kind of take it for granted.” Cameron Montemayor | News-Press NOW

Stay tuned for Repair photos next time I am in St Joseph, Missouri. …

Damage can be seen just above the fence. → ↑

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Mar

Praise from a Century Ago ~ Albany Memorial

Posted by: Dan Neil Leininger, Webmaster | Comments (0)

2025

Here are further details on the Albany Soldiers and Sailors Monument from the The Albany Evening Journal, Sat. Oct. 6, 1912.

$100,000 was appropriated by the New York State Legislature
The final site selection was in Washington Park rather than the first in Capitol Park
A competition for design was held. The Five Jurists were:
- Daniel Chester French, sculptor
- Arnold W. Brunner – architect, city planner
- Will H. Low – painter
- William R. Mead, architect
- Herbert Adams – sculptor
The Jury selected the submission of Hermon Atkins MacNeil. His design was chosen over five other noted sculptors. The jury pronounced it “the most meritorious … exceedingly chaste and dignified.”
Architects, Lord and Hewlett of New York, were associated with MacNeil’s design. They had also partnered with MacNeil on the William McKinley Monument at the Ohio Capitol grounds in Columbus.
“The jury was unanimous in its opinion that the memorial would prove not only a beautiful piece of monumental work but something unusual. Experts who have seen it say Albany may well be proud as it will be discussed and admired in art circles the world over.”
MacNeil titled his work “The Nation in Peace Won Through Victorious War“
He said he submitted this form “because with the abundance of foliage in Washington Park” which offered background and setting for the monument.
“The dark bronze group would tend to mix and confuse with the trees and the foliage.” The mammoth white marble gave a vigorous contrast as well as being a particularly appropriate framing for the memorial.”
In addition, MacNeil’s plan of sculpting the soldiers, sailors, uniforms and equipment in bas relief would render the images more interesting and complete.
The title that MacNeil proposed implied a “just peace” rather than glorifying war. The broken shackles of slaves were made a component part of plinth on which the bronze Victory statue stands.
While MacNeil was at work on the various models in his studio at College Point, members of the Albany committees paid him many visits and changes were frequently suggested.
All these efforts added meaningful details to the multiple relief designs on all sides of the monument.