Carole Feuerman's Survival of Serena sculpture was unveiled this afternoon in Petrosino Square, the triangular pocket park at the intersection of Soho, Little Italy, and Chinatown. Curbed's own Pete Davies was on hand to get some pictures. The painted bronze sculpture, which depicts a swimmer resting her head on an inner tube, will remain in the park (which was renovated a couple years back) until September 23.
The park was named in 1987 for Police Lieutenant Giuseppe "Joe" Petrosino, who, if you don't already know about him, was quite an interesting figure. Petrosino emigrated from Italy as a child, joined the police force when he was eighteen, and quickly rose up the ranks, first becoming Sergeant of Detectives and eventually leading a new unit created to combat Italian organized crime. His other claims to fame include predicting President McKinley's assassination and being New York City's shortest police officer at five foot three. (You can read more about him here.) This video clip includes some people talking about Petrosino, and, although we're not sure what they're saying because it's in Italian, we imagine it's something along the lines of, "Joe Petrosino is a great man who deserves to have a park named after him." Anyway, now you know. Go enjoy the sculpture.
· Carole Feuerman
· Petrosino Square Coverage [Curbed]