{"nrhp_refnum":"99001489","name":"Seward, William Henry, Memorial","other_names":[],"category":"object","location":{"address":"Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Florida","county":"Orange County","state":"NY","lat":41.333453475000056,"lon":-74.35680711199996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1999-12-09","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Art"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A commemorative monument in the Village of Florida, Orange County, New York, erected in 1930 at the entrance to the S. S. Seward Institute school on Main Street. It is a bronze portrait bust by Daniel Chester French on a granite pedestal with a landscaped platform.","why_significant":"The memorial honors William Henry Seward, born in Florida, who served as New York governor, U.S. senator and Secretary of State. It is presented as a distinguished work by master sculptor Daniel Chester French, with a setting designed by architect Richard Henry Dana, Jr., and as an expression of early twentieth-century Neo-Classical aesthetics. It also links the village to its famous native son.","narrative":"Standing at the entrance to the public junior and senior high school on Main Street in the Village of Florida, New York, this monument honors William Henry Seward, who was born in the village in 1801. Dedicated on September 24, 1930, it consists of a heroic-size bronze portrait bust sculpted by Daniel Chester French on a six-foot pink granite pedestal. The bust sits at the center of a raised circular bluestone platform with granite benches, a setting designed by architect Richard Henry Dana, Jr. The idea originated with Seward's heirs in 1923, and banker George F. Baker paid two-thirds of the sculptor's fee, with local citizens raising the rest. Seward served as New York governor, U.S. senator and Secretary of State, and promoted the purchase of Alaska. The memorial is valued as a work by a leading American sculptor and as a refined example of Neo-Classical design. It remains largely intact, apart from lost plantings and a widened driveway.","period_of_significance":"1930","architect_builder":"Daniel Chester French, sculptor; Richard Henry Dana, Jr., architect","architectural_style":"Late 19th and Early 20th Century Revivals, Neo-Classical Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Described as remaining essentially intact to its 1930 construction. The bronze is in very good condition, though it has turned green and would benefit from conservation. Two granite seats are broken, and the original plantings have not survived.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:51.515287-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/99001489.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75320736","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Henry_Seward_Memorial","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8012151"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/orange-county/seward-william-henry-memorial-99001489/"}