What was still a mystery Saturday morning was where a time capsule might be located. Traffic flow, without the statue’s former island of land in the middle of a five-street intersection, would be improved. She also said the front of City Hall will be renovated to make it more pedestrian-friendly. We think it will be Academy Park, where we are standing right now, but it is one of the suggested places,” she said of the park along Washington Avenue across the street from where the Schuyler statue once stood.
“That commission will determine where the statue will go next. Sheehan said she proposed an Albany Monument Commission, currently before the City Council, for consideration. For now, it will be placed in storage until a new home is found. The statue was placed on a flatbed trailer and driven away. We have to figure out how we contextualize that and tell the whole story.”Ī crane hoisted the statue off its foundation with hardly any resistance and the base was lifted off in the same manner. “While this is a person who did great things in history, and is rightly remembered for all of his amazing accomplishments, he is also a man who enslaved dozens of African Americans. But ultimately this is about listening to our residents,” she said. “I understand people’s strong feelings about this and these decisions are never easy. Schuyler was a significant military and political figure in the Revolutionary era, but also one of the region's most prodigious enslavers of Black people.
The holidays are all about giving, receiving, offering, volunteering, and for so many of us, remembering.Sheehan acknowledged the strong emotions on both sides of the issue and said it was one reason for removing the statue at a time when few were out of bed, let alone in downtown Albany. All those who purchase the trees this year, or anyone who can't if they sell out, will have the first right of refusal next.īut in the meantime, a new tradition has been born in Albany and it couldn't have come at a better time. Trees will be on display at Westland Hills now through New Years Day and every tree used in the event is a premium quality balsam fir grown in nearby Vermont, according to the Our Angels Remembered website.įarrell told us he expects the remaining trees to sell out quickly, and as of Tuesday evening, there were still a few left. "Former players," he told me, "decorated one particular Christmas tree with their old baseball scorecards in honor of their coach. Some trees have many angels on them representing multiple lost loved ones, while another was adorned in baseball-themed decorations for a beloved, fallen coach in the area. Farrell told us that on Sunday evening during the opening night reveal, people were coming up to him, thanking him and offering hugs. Those missing a loved one can honor them by decorating their own Christmas tree within the park and come visit it as much as they'd like. "We all know someone who may need a little help when they're down, and it's tough when there's an empty seat at the table," Farrell says. Recognizing that the holidays can be especially hard when you're missing a loved one, Farrell set out to make things a little easier by providing some comfort - even if it's for just a few months. Each tree costs $75 to sponsor, and after the organizers cover their costs, the rest is invested back to Westland Hills. "We set out to do 100 trees in our first year, and we're already well over 75 and the season just started," he explains. Albany resident Dan Farrell, the event coordinator, says that the moment it was announced that volunteers would be planting Christmas trees inside the park on behalf of lost loved ones, people wanted to know more about it.
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