{"nrhp_refnum":"01000243","name":"Father Francis D. Duffy Statue and Duffy Square","other_names":["Father Francis P. Duffy Monument and Duffy Square"],"category":"object","location":{"address":"Triangle bounded by Broadway, Seventh Ave., W. 47th. and W. 46th St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"New York","county":"Manhattan","state":"NY","lat":40.759119965000025,"lon":-73.98498816499995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2001-03-12","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Art"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A bronze and granite memorial statue of Father Francis P. Duffy, dedicated in 1937, in Duffy Square, a triangular public space on Broadway at Seventh Avenue between West 46th and 47th Streets in Manhattan's Theater District.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the statue is an outstanding local example of twentieth-century public art and an important work of sculptor Charles Keck. It also memorializes Duffy, the chaplain of the Fighting 69th in World War I and a beloved New York priest. The memorial retains a high degree of integrity.","narrative":"Rising from a stepped green granite podium in the middle of Duffy Square, this over-life-size bronze figure shows Father Francis P. Duffy in his World War I uniform, holding a Bible, with a granite Celtic cross behind him and a granite bench nearby. Sculptor Charles Keck designed the nine-foot statue, which was unveiled on May 2, 1937, before a crowd of more than 30,000. Duffy served as chaplain of the Fighting 69th Regiment, received several American, French and Canadian honors, and later became pastor of Holy Cross Church, serving Hell's Kitchen and the theater district. After his death in 1932, a memorial committee raised funds for the monument, and the triangle was officially named Duffy Square in 1939. The monument is valued as a work of public art by a nationally known sculptor and as a symbol of patriotism and Irish American pride. Later additions, including a George M. Cohan statue, flagpoles, a fence and a ticket booth, do not contribute to its significance.","period_of_significance":"1937-1939","architect_builder":"Keck, Charles (sculptor)","architectural_style":"Late 19th & 20th Century Revivals: Classical Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"The statue remains unaltered in the center of the square, surrounded by a later non-contributing fence. Other additions include flagpoles, a George M. Cohan statue, planters and a ticket booth.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:51.362793-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/01000243.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/01000243/ebb02ac3bd-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/01000243/ebb02ac3bd-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"chensiyuan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1_times_square_night_2013.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">chensiyuan</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1_times_square_night_2013.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75319477","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duffy_Square","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q901251"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/manhattan/father-francis-d-duffy-statue-and-duffy-square-01000243/"}