Restoration of the "Rocket Thrower" Sculpture in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens

The "Rocket Thrower" statue, designed by Donald De Lue for the 1964 World's Fair in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens, has been restored through funds raised by The Municipal Art Society's Adopt-A-Monument program. The statue is the last from the original list to be restored, according to Jonathan Kuhn, the director of the Arts & Antiquities program in the Parks Department. The 43-foot high rendition of a man hurling a rocket into space with one hand, and grabbing a constellation of stars with the other, was designed as a permanent feature that would outlast the fair, according to Kuhn. The bronze sculpture had slowly turned green over the last few decades due to oxidation. To reverse this, conservator Steve Tatti, head of SAT Inc., and his crew heated up the cleaned bronze to about 175 degrees with a propane torch and applied a consistent layer of a petroleum-based wax mixture. All of the stars have been regilded as well. The 2 photos above were taken after the restoration and the image at the bottom made on August 4, 2013 shows the condition of the statue before restoration.