At Tuesday’s P&Z meeting, the commission reviewed Fred Camillo’s application for a statue of George HW Bush in front of the Havemeyer building on Greenwich Ave.
The 10′ 8″ monument features a 6 ‘8″ bronze statue of former President Bush. It would be encircled by a sidewalk and sitting wall, and include a pathway and lighting. The statue would be on a plinth three feet above sidewalk grade, with a limestone slab behind it.
“It seems to me that with the loss of the trees, it begins to me to resemble Arlington Cemetery.” – P&Z Commissioner Mary Jenkins
The cost of the monument is being offered as a gift through a private donation and requires acceptance by the RTM. Ongoing maintenance would be handled by the Town.
John Conte III, Professional Civil Engineer from Conte & Conte, presented the proposal.
The application no longer has a rendering of the statue, but rather a silhouette.
The renderings Mr. shared on Tuesday were not in the application file but he offered to provide them.
Commissioner Nick Macri asked whether an artist had been commissioned.
Camillo replied that an artist had yet to be commissioned.
Last summer, the applicant indicated the sculptor was Harlan Rose.
Rendering shared by Conte & Conte during the Oct 28, 2025 P&Z meeting, shows statue with proposed Dogwood trees and how they will look 20 ft tall.
The proposed location is roughly between the statue of Col Raynal Cawthorne Bolling and the group of monuments honoring veterans of the World War II, Korean, and Vietnam Wars.
A mature Norway Maple tree adjacent to the proposed location was cut down in August, and the tree warden, Dr. Greg Kramer, anticipates having to cut down a second large Norway Maple that has become a hazard after a storm in September.
Dr. Kramer said the recommended replacement trees were 3-inch caliper Willow Oak trees that could grow up to two feet a year once established.
“It’s a cleaner oak tree, very small acorns,” he said.
He said it would take 20 years before new trees would form a significant canopy, but some shade could be provided in 5-10 years.
After a stump from a large Maple tree was ground, a circle of mulch remained outside the Havemeyer building at 290 Greenwich Ave. Aug 26, 2025 Photo: Leslie Yager
Maple being removed by Town of Greenwich on Thursday, Aug 21, 2025 Contributed Photo
With the loss of the two mature trees, the P&Z commissioners were concerned the statue would not be “grounded” under a tree canopy for many years.
Commissioner Mary Jenkins said it was important to preserve the historic intersection.
“We have the obelisk in front of the old post office. We have the veterans of foreign wars memorial. We have the Bolling statue. And now we have this proposal as well,” Jenkins said. “It seems to me that with the loss of the trees, it begins to me to resemble Arlington Cemetery.”
“We have monument, monument, monument, and a monument across the street – all at an intersection with great historic quality and beauty.”
Commissioner Anne Noel Jones asked, “Are we creating a sort of monument alley here?”
First Selectman Camillo disagreed.
“This is Veterans Plaza Park, and if there is anyone who deserves to be there, this site screams out for George HW Bush to be there. Hiding him in another part of town – we looked at so many – we looked at lots of areas.”
“You could put a moratorium on statues there after this, but we want the president to be seen by people. It’s in Veterans Plaza Park, not Bruce Park, not Byram Park, not Tod’s Point. He belongs there.”
“This is a war hero. This is one of our own,” he added. “It doesn’t make sense to stick the statue of George HW Bush anywhere else.”
“I have to express surprise,” Jenkins said. “One of my concerns all along was were other locations considered, and if there were, why was this one preferred?”
Camillo said Historic District Commission liked the proposed location, but had also suggested a location in front of town hall or across the street in front of 299 Greenwich Ave, home to the Greenwich Arts Center.
The written testimony Rich Montier suggested locating the statue at the far end of the Greenwich Commons quad off Greenwich Avenue.
“Name the quad in his honor and upgrade the seating (which isn’t bad at present) and beautify this section in other minor ways,” Montier said.
The Historic District Commission balked at the initial location proposed in the triangle in front of the historic former post office, but were in favor of the Havemeyer lawn location, with the caveat that the applicant return once the final materials and style are chosen.
Mr. Macri, who agreed with Ms Jenkins’ comment about the risk of the lawn of Havemeyer looking like a cemetery, said two large old growth trees would have “grounded the statue.”
Col Bolling monument on the lawn of the Havemeyer building. July 8, 2022 Photo: Leslie Yager
“This monument is now kind of in a willy-nilly location. It’s just there. There’s nothing to ground it to the streetscape or frame it.”
Macri said if the statue was in front of town hall, which is visited every day by hundreds of people, it could be easily seen.
Alternately, Macri said if the statue was situated along the walking path from Havemeyer to Town Hall it could could be “grounded in natural landscaping.”
During public comment, David Wold suggested locating the statue by the “Gratitude Grove,” which is also on the Havemeyer property, and faces town hall.
“Veterans Park”
The application refers to the proposed area for the statue in front of the Havemeyer building as Veteran’s Park.
During public comment David Wold noted that last year the First Selectman referred to the triangular park in front of the historic post office (by the WWI monument) as “Veterans Plaza Park” when he sought to locate the statue there. He questioned why the new application also referred to “Veteran’s Park.”
“I’m wondering if both parcels are what First Selectman is describing as Veterans Plaza Park?” he asked.
First Selectman Fred Camillo initially proposed a statue of George HW Bush and an illuminated water fountain in “Veterans Park” front of the historic post office building on Greenwich Ave. Feb 12, 2025 Photo: Leslie Yager
Lighting
Two lights are proposed to uplight the front of the statue, plus one to uplight the back a plaque with text to be determined.
It was noted that of all the other monuments, only the cluster of Vietnam/WWII and Korea monuments have lighting.
In the case of monuments and statues, lighting is exempt from regulations.
However, Ms Jenkins said, “It seems to increases the prominence of this in ways that neither the obelisk and Bolling statue exhibit.”
Mr. Macri said the placement of the statue’s lighting would be obscured by the base the statue sits on, and suggested moving the lighting to illuminate the statue itself.
360° Visibility
Also, the commission had concerns about maintaining the look of the historic intersection and the slab behind the statue would limit the visibility of the statue.
Commissioner Arn Welles said view of the statue was not visible from 360°. He noted people leaving the Havemeyer building to walk to the parking lot would not see it.
“All the views we’ve been given are from the front. There’s a lot of things going on behind – there are multiple paths going by and no one will see president bush from the rear unless they walk by and turn around.”
Welles gave the example of the statue of President Bush in the George Bush Presidential Library in College Station, which is visible from 360°.
Mr. Conte countered by saying the Bolling statue has a slab behind it, and the Vietnam War monument (and World War II and Korea monuments) cannot be viewed 360°.
Involving Arts Professionals
There were concerns that local arts professionals had not been consulted. Mr. Camillo said six years ago he asked two people to form a Public Arts Commission, but they never met.
During public comment, Lucy von Brachel said while the sculpture in Cos Cob park had set a precedent to omit the Municipal Improvement requirement, “I do think that because you’re putting in such a large seating area, and it’s a historic property, that it is a major redesign of a public park or public property.”
“I’d also argue that because HDC wanted to see (the design) again before final site plan, the fact that there isn’t a clear rendering of it is an issue,” she added.
She referred to her written testimony, and repeated that there should be an effort to follow the town’s public arts policy, and that arts professionals should be involved in any project like the proposed statue.
Ms von Brachel, a professional appraiser and consultant specializing in fine art and historical photographs, said she was concerned the town would go to such great lengths before arts professionals were involved.
“Because it is a sculpture, we want to make sure it is made of the right materials, that we understand how much it is going to cost, that we understand the insurance problems, and that we understand what the artist’s requirements are.”
In written testimony, Ashley Cole said public art is an important addition to a town’s cultural landscape, but done incorrectly can do the opposite. She suggested forming a group of experts to pursue the project.
“The space is a public one and deserves public input as well as public approval. It is my opinion that P&Z as well as the applicant, form a commission of citizens who are knowledgeable in this arena to research and select a sculptor and artist who would be an appropriate fit for the site as well as the community.”
Sam Rosenfeld from District 1, who made comments in July at the HDC, said the statue should be placed somewhere that fits the entirety of George Bush’s legacy. He suggested locating the statue at town hall, “the epicenter of public service.”
“George HW Bush was not just a veteran. His contributions to our society were massive as a public servant. His champion of ADA rights and the general outlook he had on intelligence as director of the CIA points to a person dedicated in every facet to being a public servant.”
Like Mr. Montier, he suggested Greenwich Commons as an appropriate location.
He said the proposed location in front of the Havemeyer building risked overshadowing nearby monuments that were “carefully put there to remember people who fought and died in wars that came from our town…these are dedicated specifically to people who lost their lives.”
“There is something about lighting this statue up while others go dark, the size and the possible blockage of these others that doesn’t send the right message,” Rosenfeld said.
At the end of the discussion Ms Alban summarized the concerns and asked the applicant to come back.
Mr. Conte agreed. “We have a little bit of work to do.”
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Feb 13, 2025