The Bronx is one of New York City's five boroughs, along with Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. The Bronx is North of Manhattan, separated by the Harlem River and is split into the East Bronx and the West Bronx. The Bronx has had a long-standing reputation for being home to some of New York's worst neighborhoods but is also known for its rich cultural diversity and historic monuments.
Italian sculptor John Grignola carved the Bronx River Soldier Statue monument located in Varian Park. The statue sits outside the historic Valentine-Varian House, home to the Bronx County Historical Society. The monument, made entirely of granite, depicts a Union solder during the Civil War holding a musket close to his body. The statue is considered a prototypical image of Civil War soldiers and traditional military clothes.
Rockefeller Fountain, located in the Bronx Park, was given to the city by famous benefactor William Rockefeller but actually came from Como, Italy. The fountain features several classically sculpted nude women posing on open shells along the fountain's edges. Rockefeller purchased the fountain in 1902 and by 1903 installed it at the Bronx Zoo. In 1920 the fountain moved again to its present location. In 1968 New York City declared the fountain an official landmark.
The Clason Point War Memorial is a 7-foot high bronze statue of a female figure set in an 11-foot high granite frame. The statue is at the Woodrow Wilson Triangle and was sculpted by James Novelli in 1928. The residents of Clason Point commissioned the statue for $3,500 to honor members of the neighborhood who lost their lives in World War I. The memorial features quotes from American presidents such as George Washington, Abraham Licoln, and Woodrow Wilson.
The Heinrich Heine Fountain, is presently located in Joyce Kilmer Park and was sculpted by Ernst Herter. A group of German-Americans commissioned the fountain in 1899 to honor the famous German poet and writer, Henrich Heine. Heine is perhaps best known for his poem Die Lorelei, which is why the monument is sometimes referred to as "Lorelei Fountain." In 1999, the fountain underwent $310,000 of restoration through the Municipal Art Society's "Adopt-A-Monument" program.
