Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton Celebrates Completion of
Mackay Horse Statue Plaza in Roslyn’s Gerry Park
(ROSLYN, N.Y.) - Nassau County Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton (D – Glen Cove) celebrated the completion of the Mackay horse statue plaza in the Town of North Hempstead’s Gerry Park during an unveiling ceremony in Roslyn Village on Tuesday, Oct. 9.
The plaza, which was funded in part with more than $71,000 in County grant dollars secured by Legislator DeRiggi-Whitton, includes permanent lighting, landscaping and a historic marker detailing the history of the 26-foot statue, which was carved by sculptor Franz Plumelet and installed at the Harbor Hill estate in 1920.
“This community should be incredibly proud of their successful grassroots campaign to ensure the preservation of a historic Roslyn Village artifact,” Legislator DeRiggi-Whitton said. “I am grateful to all of my past and present partners at the Nassau County Legislature - including my predecessor Wayne Wink, who began the process while serving in the Legislature - the Town of North Hempstead and the Roslyn Landmark Society who helped make this a reality.”
Gerry Park’s Mackay horse statue is one of a pair commissioned for the circa-1900 Harbor Hill residence, which was designed by legendary estate builder Stanford White for Comstock Lode silver heir Clarence H. Mackay and his wife Katherine.
Bruce and Melissa Shulman donated the statue, which historians say is a replica of the Marly Horse statues built in 1739 for King Louis XV of France, to the Town of North Hempstead in 2009. Subsequently, it was moved to Gerry Park and underwent a restoration that was completed in October 2013. The second sculpture was relocated to Roslyn High School in the 1950s.
