The Fund for Roosevelt is acting to conserve and preserve a significant piece of the borough’s history — the sculpture of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Above: A member of Aegis Restauro, an art and architecture conservation firm based in Belle Meade, works on the restoration of the bust of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in Roosevelt. The bust, which was created by Roosevelt resident Jonathan Shahn in the 1960s, is being restored under the direction of the artist and the Fund for Roosevelt, a nonprofit preservation organization that helped to raise money for the project. Vandals spray-painted graffiti on the memorial that serves as the town’s centerpiece in 2008. For resident Tom Curry, the incident brought to light how 45 years had taken a toll on the sculpture’s bronze bust and granite veneer pedestal. Seeing an urgent need for the monument’s conservation and preservation, he sought support for a restoration project from the Fund for Roosevelt.
The Fund for Roosevelt is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving historical farmland and open spaces in Roosevelt. Led by eight Roosevelt residents, the fund has been instrumental in the preservation of 561 acres in Roosevelt. Current members are Curry, President Alan Mallach, Secretary Gail Hutton, Treasurer Eitan Grunwald, Michael Ticktin, Jeff Ellentuck and Kirk Rothfuss.
The fund agreed to help raise money for restoring the bust’s original patina and repairing and weatherizing the granite pedestal. By 2008 the concrete pedestal had cracked, allowing water inside, which pushed the stone facing away. Weather conditions had also compromised the patina of the bust. The graffiti had also destroyed the original gold leaf on the monument.
The restoration work took a couple of years to get under way because the borough owns the sculpture, and a contract for the work had to be negotiated between the borough, the Fund for Roosevelt and a restoration firm. Curry met with a couple of conservation companies and found Aegis Restauro, of Belle Meade.
“I was impressed by their portfolio of work,” Curry said. “I held a meeting with the owner, Zbigniew Pietruszewski, and the sculpture’s artist, Jonathan Shahn of Roosevelt. We discussed the structural problems with the pedestal and the weather-worn bronze sculpture. Or, I should say, Jonathan and Zbigniew talked all about sculptures and patinas and really hit it off. We then agreed upon a conservation method.”
Aegis Restauro started on-site repairs Sept. 1 under the direction of the Fund for Roosevelt in consultation with monument creator Jonathan Shahn.
“Our greatest concern and riskiest part of this project was the removal of the granite veneer,” Curry said. “I am happy to report the panels were removed without a problem. The bronze conservation is under way, and its patina is looking wonderful.”
When complete, the granite pedestal will be polished and weather-tight. The bronze sculpture finish will be protected with a wax, and the engraving will be gold-leaf gilded. The project was expected to finish up this week.
“I’m no sculpture critic, but I think the work looks great,” Curry said. “The bronze finish, its patina, looks wonderful. When I met with Jonathan Shahn back in 2008, I saw a smaller copy of the original. I think the new patina is a great match to the original.”
Shahn said he is pleased with the restoration work.
“He did a very nice job,” Shahn said. “I was a little alarmed when he started.”
After Pietruszewski cleaned the sculpture, he started layering the patina, which are chemicals that alter the color of bronze. Shahn was skeptical about the patina restoration at first.
“The first layer was bright red,” Shahn said. “But it looks good now.”
Shahn created the grand bust as the focal point of the amphitheater in 1961. At that time, residents worked together to design and construct the memorial amphitheater in memory of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and in celebration of the town’s 25th anniversary. Shahn was not paid to create the monument but did get to travel to Italy, where it was skillfully cast for $1,500. The memorial was dedicated on June 2, 1962, by former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who spoke at the dedication ceremonies.
The total cost of the sculpture conservation project is $17,500, of which the Fund for Roosevelt raised $2,745 from 47 donors, including $100 raised last year by the Roosevelt Public School Student Council through bake sales.
“The Fund for Roosevelt still welcomes any other donations to help defray the cost,” Curry said. “If we could raise enough money, we would propose the next steps, repairing the amphitheater that was designed by Bert Ellentuck of Roosevelt and installing new area pedestrian lighting.”
To contribute to the restoration of the monument and the amphitheater, mail a check payable to Fund for Roosevelt to P.O. Box 404, Roosevelt, NJ 08555-0404.