NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The City of New Rochelle is planning to restore the Thomas Paine Monument on North Avenue near the Thomas Paine Cottage.
The request for proposal seeks the general restoration of the Thomas Paine Monument, located on North Avenue in New Rochelle, New York. Hard copy proposals will be accepted until 3:00 pm on July 7, 2021, at New Rochelle City Hall.
Full details of the RFP here.
Thomas Paine died in 1809. While considered a hero of the American Revolution for his pamphlets, most notably Common Sense, at the time of his death he was widely reviled, primarily for his attacks on organized religion.
His passing went unmourned and his grave site unattended.
According to the Library of Congress, Thomas Paine’s remains were exhumed from its burial site near his cottage in New Rochelle in 1819 by an admirer who transported them to England where they became lost to history.
The only part of Paine near his original burial site is a mummified brain stem and a lock of his hair, which were buried in a secret location by the historical association.
The Thomas Paine Monument is a 15-foot tall marble pedestal and bronze sculpture “dedicated to perpetuating the legacy of Founding Father Thomas Paine”. The original monument, erected in 1839, consisted of a tapered marble pedestal and decorative cap. The monument was damaged by treasure hunters looking for the remains of Thomas Paine. The monument was restored and a bronze bust of Paine added in 1899. The widening of North Avenue and opening of Paine Avenue necessitated the removal of the monument from its original position. In 1905, the monument was placed in its present location in the center of Paine Avenue.
On October 14, 1905, the monument was formally presented to and accepted by the City of New Rochelle. It has once again fallen into disrepair, which the RFP is intended to remedy.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Based on experience, any article we publish that mentions Thomas Paine generates emails, some quite long, about what we failed to note about Paine or some historical information related to Paine. For those so inclined, feel free not to send an email, but rather to add a comment detailing your thoughts on whatever concerns you may have.