The Cape

From Wikipedia

A little over 10 years ago I was pushing my kids in their stroller and for the first time noticed the Statue of  James Stranahan near Just inside Prospect Park, near Grand Army Plaza.  In my mind I heard my kids saying "Daddy, who is he?"  I did not know.  So I went across the street to the Central Branch of  The Brooklyn Public Library and check out a book.   He was the President of the Brooklyn Park Commission and was the man responsible for hiring Olmsted and Vaux.  He was in the room when people decided to build the Brooklyn Bridge.  He actually presided over it's dedication in 1883.

I read that he was a "gentlemen politician".  Like our current Mayor is was a wealthy man who took no salary for his service.  But unlike Mayor Mike, he put his money where his mouth was and wrote a check to cover the deficit that the Park's Dept. had when he retired.

My kids have never asked me who he was, but I told them.  The statue at left makes him look like a nice man.  It should because  is was designed by his friends and he was there when it was unveiled.  "The statue was unveiled June 6th, 1891, in the presence of then 83 year old Stranahan. He died September 3, 1898. The bronze sculpture was created by Frederick MacMonnies. - Wikipedia.

Today it is covered in a Cape

My sad photo

From the Prospect Park FaceBook

It is part of a promotion for a new TV show.  I really hope NBC paid a lot of money to humiliate Stranahan like that.  


What is gonna happen in the Summer?  Will Stranahan be holding a Coke? 


Will they paint him green when the Hulk movies opens?