The Fireman’s Circle statue at the intersection of Milton Road, Grace Church Street, Palisade Drive and Cross Street has come home.
On Friday morning, contractors reinstalled the fire department’s memorial for fallen firefighters, Our Lady Memory. Commissioned in the 1930s, Our Lady Memory was severely damaged in August 2020 when operators of a stolen Mercedes being pursued by Rye PD ran into and toppled the statue.
The statue was restored by Bollinger Atelier of Tempe, Arizona. When the restored statue was returned to Rye last summer, the contractor dropped the statue during installation. The damaged Our Lady Memory went off again for further repairs to finally return to Rye again for its installation early Friday.
“I’m glad to see it back,” said Rye FD Captain John McDwyer. “It’s a piece of Rye. It is part of the fire department. It memorializes all the firefighters that came before us and are now deceased. Seeing it is a reminder of them. It is certainly a pleasure to see her again.”
