Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney's Untermyer Memorial Restored at Woodlawn Cemetery

The Untermyer Memorial at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx has undergone restoration, culminating in a ribbon-cutting ceremony on October 3, 2024. This project has brought renewed focus to the bronze sculptures created by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney and the architectural design by Paul Chalfin. Commissioned by attorney Samuel Untermyer in memory of his wife Minnie after her passing in 1924, the memorial showcases three life-sized figures set within a granite structure, featuring metal doors on three sides. Whitney, who is interred at Woodlawn and established the Whitney Museum of American Art, was influenced by Auguste Rodin, Modernism, and ancient art. The figures' interpretations vary, often seen as representing stages of a woman's life or the intersection of life and the afterlife. Supported by the Untermyer family, the restoration included the removal of overgrowth, the addition of original design plantings, cleaning of a whispering bench, restoration of a bronze griffin fountain, and reconstruction of a bluestone Star of David. Adrian Untermyer, the great-great-grandson of Samuel, envisions the site as a green space for the Bronx. Ongoing maintenance at Woodlawn also involves restoring a Tiffany Studios mosaic and surveying stained-glass windows.