Dear Friends of Untermyer Gardens:
From my vantage point at midsummer (say it isn't so!), things are abuzz here at Untermyer Gardens.
We hear that our gardens have the largest outdoor array of mosaics in the country. While exterior mosaics work quite well in places like Italy or Greece, they are problematic in our climate, with its freezing water. Quite simply, our mosaics have significant challenges. In an effort to avoid losing them altogether, we have engaged Haifa Bint-Kadi, an artist/mosaicist, to stabilize and clean them. She has focused on the Temple of the Sky, and the results are beautiful.
From my vantage point at midsummer (say it isn't so!), things are abuzz here at Untermyer Gardens.
We hear that our gardens have the largest outdoor array of mosaics in the country. While exterior mosaics work quite well in places like Italy or Greece, they are problematic in our climate, with its freezing water. Quite simply, our mosaics have significant challenges. In an effort to avoid losing them altogether, we have engaged Haifa Bint-Kadi, an artist/mosaicist, to stabilize and clean them. She has focused on the Temple of the Sky, and the results are beautiful.
Our next capital challenge is our lower entrance along the Old Croton Aqueduct. This will entail stabilizing the Gate House, which is covered in graffiti and has severe structural problems. We plan to stabilize it as a ruin, clean it up, and plant a Ruin Garden inside the shell.
We would also like to restore the Headless Horse (or Unicorn?) as part of this effort. Our board member Barbara Israel is doing research on it and the accompanying Lion, which flank the entrance. We are excited to learn more about this mysterious part of the garden!
I am pleased to welcome our newest member of the Board of Directors, the Reverend Thomas F. Pike, a retired Episcopal priest. Tom was born in Hastings, worked in Yonkers early in his career, then served as the longtime rector of Calvary-St. George's Church in Manhattan. He has serious historic preservation credentials; we served together as commissioners on the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission.
Finally, I must call out high praise for the dramatic beauty of nature now on display in the gardens. Here is a shot of our wondrous amalgam of architecture, flowers, and trees. We have never seen so many visitors, and we're glad that our exciting garden restoration has captured their imagination.
Kind regards,
Stephen F. Byrns
President, Untermyer Gardens Conservancy
Stephen F. Byrns
President, Untermyer Gardens Conservancy
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