suns along the Mohawk

       Statues of Thomas Alva Edison and Charles Proteus Steinmetz were unveiled this morning on a single pedestal, in a pocket park at the corner of Erie Boulevard and South Ferry Street, a few blocks from the main SchenectadyGeneral Electric plant.  The pair, who laid the foundation for the global giant GE, were inventors and close friends, and are often called the “Fathers of Electricity”.  The plaques on each side of the pedestal tell about the two men and their accomplishments.

I missed the ceremony, but both the Albany Times Union and the Schenectady Gazette have photo galleries of the event.  See  “Statue of Edison, Steinmetz unveiled in Schenectady“, (Albany Times Union, May 22, 2015); and “Edison, Steinmetz statues unveiled in Schenectady” (Gazette, Mar 22, 2015).

 The TU tells us that the wind blew the canvas off the statutes prematurely, while Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara was addressing the crowd. Decide for yourself whether wind power was making itself known.

 Dexter Benedict, a sculptor and owner of the Fire Works Foundry in Yates County, created the statues.

Last month, Brian Merriam, the Schenectady native and local businessman who led the campaign to erect statues of the prolific inventors, said: “This is about 100 years overdue.”  “Edison, Steinmetz statues slated for park near Schenectady GE” (Schenectady Daily Gazette, by Bethany Bump, April 10, 2015).

The blue skies and puffy white clouds lured me out late this afternoon to welcome Edison and Steinmetz to our neighborhood. They stand only four blocks down Ferry Street from the Stockade’s beloved Lawrence the Indian. The following Slideshow has a few perspectives on the new statues.

.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

– share this posting with this URL: http://tinyurl.com/EdisonSteinmetzStatues –

. . . 

Above: photos of Steinmetz’s first Schenectady home, 53 Washington Ave. in the Stockade (click to enlarge the images). 

 p.s. That’s a cigar in Mr. Steinmetz’s hand, not a commentary on the folks taking over the site of the old ALCO site and claiming the legacy of GE and ALCO.

.

 follow-up (March 26, 2020) See “Amid coronavirus response someone gives Edison and Steinmetz statues in Schenectady masks“, by Bill Buell, March 25, 2020). Photo to the left courtesy of Dr. Frank Wicks.