Located at the junction of East 67th Street and 5th Avenue is the 107th Infantry Memorial. The bronze statue sits at the edge of Central Park in Manhattan and was dedicated as a way to honor the members of the 107th Infantry who gave their lives while in service during World War I.
Here are some interesting 107th Infantry Memorial facts about the sculpture at Central Park.
Interesting 107th Infantry Memorial Facts
1. The 107th Infantry Memorial is the world of sculptor Karl Morningstar Illava (1986 – 1954).
2. Illava served as a sergeant with the 107th Infantry during World War I. He drew upon his experience serving in the regiment to create the sculpture. He was an art student before joining the regiment.
3. The 107th Infantry Memorial shows seven World War I soldiers, commonly known as doughboys, as if coming out of Central Park, as if charging at the enemy.
4. The 107th Infantry Regiment traces its origins back to the the 7th Regiment, New York National Guard.
5. The 7th Regiment was established in 1806 in response to the British blockage of New York Bay where the British claimed to have the right to seize and search American vessels to remove British subjects.
6. The 7th Regiment became known as the “Silk Stocking Regiment” and “The Dandy 7th” because its ranks were filled with New York’s social elites.
7. In 1917, the 7th Regiment was drafted into federal service and redesignated as the 107th Infantry.
8. The 107th Infantry was deployed to France in May 1918 and returned to the US in March 1919.
9. The 107th Infantry Regiment sculpture at Central Park is 9 feet by 11 inches high, 15 feet by 8 inches wide, and 10 feet deep.
10. Karl Morningstar Illava worked with a foundry in Florence, Italy to have the work cast in 1927.
11. The 107th Infantry Memorial was dedicated on September 29th, 1927 with more than 5,000 people in attendance. It was unveiled the sons of two fallen members of the 107th Infantry, Captain Clinton E. Fisk of Company D and Captain Fancher Nicoll of Company L.
12. The date of September 29th was chosen as it was the 9th anniversary of the pivotal World War I Battle of St. Quentin Canal where the regiment attacked the Hindenburg Line in Northern France.
13. The lead soldier of the sculptor is model based on Paul Cornell, the head of an advertising agency. He was chosen because the sculptor thought he looked like a typical American.
14. The soldier on the far right is carrying two Mills bombs, a type of British hand grenades.
15. The figure on the far left of the sculpture is show supporting a mortally wounded fellow soldier.
16. The idea for a memorial to the 107th Infantry was first conceived around 1920.
17. There is another sculpture in Central Park along the West Drive and north of Sheep Meadow dedicated to the New York 7th Regiment, the precursor to the 107th Infantry Regiment. It is called the 7th Regiment Memorial or “Citizen Soldier”.
If you enjoyed this story, you may also enjoy this one on the Balto sculpture at Central Park.
