By: Mario Mancini

An obscure but indispensable crew of just six Parks Department workers is responsible for maintaining more than 800 of New York City’s most recognizable public monuments — and with winter fast approaching, the tiny team is hustling to finish critical outdoor projects, the New York Post first reported.

John Saunders, the public-art conservator who leads the city’s Monuments Conservation Program, said the work is constant and wide-ranging. “There’s a lot of work to do,” he told the Post, noting that everything from acid rain and traffic exhaust to pigeons and vandalism steadily chips away at the city’s vast collection of statues, fountains, arches, and memorials.

The team is currently focused on major fixtures like Grand Army Plaza’s Bailey Fountain, where a three-person crew recently used blowtorches to clean and recoat the bronze sculptures. As the NY Post reported, most bronze pieces undergo an annual deep cleaning and a protective wax application to prevent corrosion — a routine that keeps the artworks from deteriorating under New York’s harsh environmental conditions.

This year’s Bailey Fountain work follows an urgent repair completed in October, when conservators discovered dangerously loose stones supporting the century-old figures. According to the Post, the stones were so eroded that workers worried the massive statues might collapse. The fountain is just one of more than 250 sculptures the team regularly services.

Their workload extends far beyond bronze figures. Saunders emphasized that the collection includes iconic structures such as the Unisphere, the Washington Square Arch, and countless modern artworks across the five boroughs. Each requires its own specialized attention, all of which the small team must deliver before freezing temperatures halt much of their outdoor work.

According to Jonathan Kuhn, director of NYC Parks’ arts and antiquities, the Monuments Conservation Program has tracked and scheduled monthly visits since its launch in the 1990s, often aligning cleanings with anniversaries and public ceremonies. As the NY Post first reported, many of the city’s 275 war memorials received fresh care ahead of Veterans Day, and sites with shared anniversaries — like the Flight 587 Memorial in Queens and Chinatown’s Dr. Sun Yat-sen Monument — were prepared for November observances.

The team also stocks matching paints, stone fragments, and other materials to ensure quick repairs. Routine cleanings take only a few hours, but larger restoration projects can span weeks or even months. While the crew operates on a baseline $750,000 budget, many monuments also draw on endowment funds, allowing for extensive preservation efforts without ballooning costs. Saunders told the Post that their preventive approach ultimately saves taxpayer money by avoiding emergency restorations and major capital overhauls.

Major restorations completed this year include a “head-to-toe” overhaul of Victory Memorial Park in the Bronx and repairs to the Kimlau Memorial Arch in Chinatown, which had suffered severe column cracking. The crew also worked on the Puerto Rican Sun installation, using paint selections approved directly by artist Rafael Ferrer.

Winter shifts the team’s focus indoors, where they turn to the care of historic gravestones, cannons, and carousel figures.