Post Office Park Small Monument Competition: Winner Announced

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Mayor Noble is pleased to announce that Hudson Valley sculptor and architect Richard Scherr submitted the winning design for the Post Office Park Small Monument Competition this spring.

Mr. Scherr currently practices sculpture in his Ulster Park studio, and has exhibited his work in numerous solo and group shows in Woodstock, Kingston, New York City, Oklahoma City, and at Cornell University, where he also earned his degree in architecture. He was a registered architect and instructor for over 40 years, a Professor of Architecture at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and the University of Texas at Arlington, and is an author on design theory. Today, his decades of experience in the field of architecture inform his work as a sculptor. More on Mr. Scherr's accomplishments can be found on richardscherr.com.

Launched in April 2024, the Small Monument Competition was the first of its kind that the City has ever hosted. Its purpose was to gather proposed monument concepts and identify a winning design to be fabricated and permanently installed at the new Post Office Park now under construction. Applicants were asked to provide concepts paying homage to the memory of the lost post office that once stood on the site but fell victim to urban renewal in 1970. Built between 1904-1908, it was a notable limestone and granite structure with a rounded façade and Classical and Beaux Arts elements.

A panel of eight Hudson Valley arts professionals with experience in and knowledge of visual art, local history, curation, and City parks reviewed the submissions, which were thoughtfully evaluated according to a set of established criteria, scored, and ranked — with Mr. Scherr's landing as the number one choice.

Fabricated in steel, the work will feature a representation of the iconic post office cupola, leaning as if in a state of falling, and supported with eight poles symbolizing resistance to the building's destruction. The sculpture will be placed on a round pedestal near the entrance to the Park's south side at Broadway and Grand Street.

"My goal with this project is to provide a visual reminder of the building, using the cupola to represent this treasured example of historic architecture that was lost," said Mr. Scherr. "Together, the cupola and supporting poles will be a visceral statement not only of the destruction, but also the redeeming spirit of resistance to such an act, in the hope that it never be allowed to happen again."


Stay Tuned for More... In the coming weeks, Mr. Scherr will finalize the design and work with his fabricator to create final drawings that will be posted right here on EngageKingston.com. Fabrication is expected to be completed by the end of December, but the sculpture will remain at the workshop through the winter to allow the steel to oxidize. Installation at Post Office Park will tentatively take place in late June 2025.

The Post Office Park Small Monument Competition has been made possible with funding from the U.S. Treasury through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.


Mayor Noble is pleased to announce that Hudson Valley sculptor and architect Richard Scherr submitted the winning design for the Post Office Park Small Monument Competition this spring.

Mr. Scherr currently practices sculpture in his Ulster Park studio, and has exhibited his work in numerous solo and group shows in Woodstock, Kingston, New York City, Oklahoma City, and at Cornell University, where he also earned his degree in architecture. He was a registered architect and instructor for over 40 years, a Professor of Architecture at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and the University of Texas at Arlington, and is an author on design theory. Today, his decades of experience in the field of architecture inform his work as a sculptor. More on Mr. Scherr's accomplishments can be found on richardscherr.com.

Launched in April 2024, the Small Monument Competition was the first of its kind that the City has ever hosted. Its purpose was to gather proposed monument concepts and identify a winning design to be fabricated and permanently installed at the new Post Office Park now under construction. Applicants were asked to provide concepts paying homage to the memory of the lost post office that once stood on the site but fell victim to urban renewal in 1970. Built between 1904-1908, it was a notable limestone and granite structure with a rounded façade and Classical and Beaux Arts elements.

A panel of eight Hudson Valley arts professionals with experience in and knowledge of visual art, local history, curation, and City parks reviewed the submissions, which were thoughtfully evaluated according to a set of established criteria, scored, and ranked — with Mr. Scherr's landing as the number one choice.

Fabricated in steel, the work will feature a representation of the iconic post office cupola, leaning as if in a state of falling, and supported with eight poles symbolizing resistance to the building's destruction. The sculpture will be placed on a round pedestal near the entrance to the Park's south side at Broadway and Grand Street.

"My goal with this project is to provide a visual reminder of the building, using the cupola to represent this treasured example of historic architecture that was lost," said Mr. Scherr. "Together, the cupola and supporting poles will be a visceral statement not only of the destruction, but also the redeeming spirit of resistance to such an act, in the hope that it never be allowed to happen again."


Stay Tuned for More... In the coming weeks, Mr. Scherr will finalize the design and work with his fabricator to create final drawings that will be posted right here on EngageKingston.com. Fabrication is expected to be completed by the end of December, but the sculpture will remain at the workshop through the winter to allow the steel to oxidize. Installation at Post Office Park will tentatively take place in late June 2025.

The Post Office Park Small Monument Competition has been made possible with funding from the U.S. Treasury through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

Page last updated: 17 Jun 2024, 08:42 AM