James Felt Memorial

Artist: Tarr, William

With: Lippincott, Inc., Fabricator

Status: In Situ

Title: James Felt Memorial (sculpture)

Dates: 1979

Medium: Cor-Ten steel on metal base

Dimensions: Sculpture: approx. 10 ft. x 30 in. x 27 in.; Base: approx. 24 in. x 33 in. x 39 in.

Inscription: HF/RFT (On sculpture:) JAMES/FELT/6-29-03/3-4-71/HE SAW THE/NEED AND/HE ACTED (On front:) AT/KT/IMF/RFL (Front, left:) CPC/MT.S. (Rear:) ULNY (Left side:) HSS/DMF/AF/MH.

Description: An upright rectangular piece, which is an asymmetrical arrangement of cubic elements, embellished with welded letters and phrases pertaining to the subject’s life.

Owner: Administered by New York City Housing Authority, New York, New York

Located Amsterdam Houses Addition, 64th Street, between West End & Amsterdam Avenues, New York, New York

Remarks: James Felt (1904-1971) made many contributions to civic life as a real estate developer and member of the New York City Housing Authority and City Planning. He notably argued in an editorial shortly before his death that “zoning be radically modified or changed, for the growing shortage of decent housing is one of the city’s most critical problems.” The New York City Housing Authority commissioned this commemorative sculpture for a site in front of the Amsterdam Houses. The form of the work shares much with Tarr’s Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, also located in the UWS.

References: Gayle, Margot & Michele Cohen, “Guide to Manhattan’s Outdoor Sculpture,” New York: Prentice Hall, 1988, pg. 275.