Portion of Washington Road to be closed Saturday for installation of sculpture about Woodrow Wilson’s legacy

Washington Road will be closed from about 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 27th, between Prospect Avenue and and William Street for the installation of a large sculpture. The work zone area will be closed to pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles. A crane will be lifting, moving and installing heavy objects. Police are advising residents to avoid the area.

The crane will be used to install “Double Sights,” a sculpture about Woodrow Wilson’s legacy by acclaimed artist Walter Hood. A spokesman for Princeton University said the installation is expected to be completed in September. A public dedication is being planned for the fall.

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Landscape architect Walter Hood was commissioned to create the new sculpture on the Scudder Plaza at Princeton University.

The 39-foot-high permanent installation will be erected on Scudder Plaza beside Robertson Hall, home of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, next to the “Fountain of Freedom” on the Washington Road side of the plaza.

Double Sights will be a vertical sculpture of two columnar elements, one leaning on the other, wrapped with surfaces of black and white stone and etched with quotations representing both the positive and negative aspects of Wilson’s legacy. Quotes by Wilson will appear on the outside of both columns.

In April 2016, the Princeton University Board of Trustees adopted recommendations made by a Wilson legacy review committee on how the school should recognize Wilson’s legacy. The recommendations included placing a permanent marker on the Scudder Plaza beside Robertson Hall.

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Krystal Knapp is the founding editor of Planet Princeton. Follow her on Twitter @krystalknapp. She can be reached via email at editor AT planetprinceton.com. Send all letters to the editor and press releases to that email address.

One Comment

  1. It’s a shame that monuments are still being erected to glorify racists. Jim
    crow segregation increased in federal offices under Wilson. He was a very privileged man. It’s uncertain whether he would have made any statuary-worthy achievements if he’d been born lower class.

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