The monument is of an abolitionist who took control of the offal office after the assassination of president elect James A Garfield. It reminds me of any other monument of someone to be honest nothing stands out as particularly unique. I think the intended audience of the monument is literally anyone who is unaware of Chester Alan so it’s a way of remembering who he is and his historical ties to NYC (he was one out of two presidents to be inaugurated in NYC). I was a member of the intended audience because I honestly didn’t know he was ever even a president. It’s Chester Alan Arthur standing behind a chair with a book in his hand. The visitor takes on a POV as someone having a direct dialogue with him. It’s pretty big and is in a pretty passed by area of the park but people barely stopped by to take notice of it. This is likely because memorials in general have fallen out of favor with our generation. It could also be related to the fact that Madison Square Park is fairly close to many other staples of NYC like the flatiron or the cube. I think the memorial is fairly unsuccessful because it doesn’t get much traffic, however, if you do look into it it does serve the purpose of educating the public on something important.
Honestly, that’s how I felt about the majority of the monuments at Madison Square Park serving as a reminder to the public of who they were. They were pretty unsuccessful, they could’ve gone with another abolitionist to take Chester’s spot or at least add more description of his accomplishments.
I have walked past this statue and I didn’t know who he was or what his role was in society. There should be more legible information available on Chester Alan for the monument to have more interaction.
I like your observation about the Chester Alan Arthur monument at Madison Square Park, recognizing its lack of uniqueness but acknowledging its educational value, as it serves as a reminder of his historical significance and ties to NYC, even if it struggles to capture the attention of a generation less inclined towards memorials.