Theodore Roosevelt statue removed from Museum of Natural History
By: Natalie O'Neill (New York Post)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Roosevelt went on a rough ride.
A statue of Theodore Roosevelt that has stood in front of the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan for more than 80 years was hauled away Wednesday, photos show.
The bronze monument depicting the nation's 26th president on a horse flanked by an African man and a Native American man — which has sparked protests for glorifying colonialism and racism — was yanked out with a crane just after midnight, leaving behind only its concrete pedestal.
The controversial effigy will be sent to a library in North Dakota on a long-term loan, officials have said.
The $2 million removal, carried out by the museum and the city, comes after the New York City Public Design Commission voted in June to relocate the monument.
Last month, the museum covered the 10-foot-tall statue with an orange tarp ahead of its shipment to the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, North Dakota.
One of the ex-president's descendants, Theodore Roosevelt V, cheered the removal plan last year, saying it's "fitting that the statue is being relocated to a place where its composition can be re-contextualized to facilitate difficult, complex and inclusive discussions."
Still, some critics called the relocation a victory for cancel culture — and a blow to history.
The statue came under fire amid nationwide Black Lives Matter protests sparked by the police killing of George Floyd in May 2020.
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