Frank Barry: A garden of heroes that both Trump and Mamdani can support

Democrats have rolled their eyes at President Donald Trump's plan for a National Garden of American Heroes in Washington, but they're looking at it all wrong. An outdoor showcase of classical sculpture depicting major historical figures is a brilliant idea - and the best part is: It already exists! It just needs a little TLC, and the country's 250th anniversary is the perfect opportunity to provide it.

The Hall of Fame of Great Americans was dedicated 125 years ago this month at New York University's Bronx campus, on a bluff overlooking Manhattan - and it was practically made to appeal to Trump. It's a paragon of neoclassical colonnaded architecture, conceived by the beau-ideal of Beaux-Arts and Renaissance revivalism, Stanford White. Its nearly 100 outdoor sculptures of iconic Americans were crafted by masters like Daniel Chester French, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, and James Earle Fraser. And its plaques were designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany, the artist renowned for his jewelry and glass designs. It's a tour de force of American monumentalism.

When it opened in 1901, it was an immediate hit, hailed as the "American Westminster Abbey" and likened to France's Pantheon - "an urban Mount Rushmore," the New York Times would later call it. For decades, it was a major tourist draw and a national cultural touchstone. It even got celebrated in 1939's The Wizard of Oz, when Munchkins cheering Dorothy's slaying of the wicked witch sang, "We will glorify your name … You will be a bust, be a bust, be a bust in the Hall of Fame!"

Yet today, hardly anyone knows about it.

The Hall's fortunes fell in the 1970s, as the Bronx was ravaged by crime and fire. NYU abandoned the campus, tour buses stopped coming, and the Hall became an orphan, left to languish in obscurity, a national landmark reduced to local trivia. 

It is currently closed for repairs. Clay roof tiles need reinstalling, crumbling limestone cornices need replacing, and loose Guastavino tiles need securing, but its beauty remains intact, as I saw on a recent visit with officials at Bronx Community College, which took over the campus from NYU. Joining us was an architect who has championed the Hall's preservation: Sam White, Stanford's great-grandson.

"When it first began," White told me as we entered the Hall's open-air colonnade, "you had to be born here to be eligible. But what about Alexander Hamilton?" Good sense prevailed, and immigrants - and women, too - were soon admitted.

As we walked along the busts of politicians, generals, scientists, inventors, activists, artists, theologians and others, we saw many of the same people the White House has proposed for its Garden of Heroes. And while some of the Hall's inductees have long been forgotten (Asa Gray and Emma Willard, anyone?), learning about them only enriched the experience.

The busts and plaques are weather-beaten and require funding for restoration work - a large expense for a community college, but not for a nation. It could be done for a fraction of the $40 million that Congress allocated for the creation of a Garden of Heroes. Why pay more for a lesser knock-off?

Bringing the Hall back to life should also involve inducting new members, which hasn't happened in 50 years. In keeping with tradition, the public would nominate candidates, and those with the most support would be voted on by prominent people representing each state - or, better yet, by direct popular vote. Americans should decide the nation's heroes, not a president.

That is not a commentary on Trump's selections for a Garden of Heroes, just a matter of principle. His executive order declaring who should be included features many worthy names and not - wisely - any Confederate leaders. At the Hall, busts of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson were removed in 2017, following the deadly White supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. It was a long time coming.

"Right from the get-go, Lee's selection was controversial," White told me. In a 1900 letter to the New York Times, a member of the Loyal Legion called it an "insult to the intelligence and patriotism of our country" and asked, "Why not Benedict Arnold also?"

For 75 years, deciding who belonged in the Hall offered Americans a chance to engage with our shared history and shape how it is passed down. Why not again?

Restoring the Hall to its grandeur would have the added benefit of attracting more visitors to a working-class neighborhood, creating new jobs and opportunity. It's a perfect project for Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Trump to team up on, given their unexpected bromance. Private funds could also be raised, both from philanthropists and the public.

A revived Hall would be less expensive and more beautiful - and more historic, unifying, democratic, and economically impactful - than a new Garden of Heroes. Trading the latter for the former would be the ultimate art of the deal.

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This column reflects the personal views of the author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Frank Barry is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist and member of the editorial board covering national affairs. He is the author of the new book, "Back Roads and Better Angels: A Journey Into the Heart of American Democracy."

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