Fiorello H. LaGuardia Monument, New York City — Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

The Fiorello H. LaGuardia Monument is a bronze sculpture in LaGuardia Place Gardens in Greenwich Village, depicting one of New York City's most beloved mayors in characteristic mid-stride, gesticulating and talking, exactly as he was in life. The statue was created by sculptor Neil Estern and installed in 1994. It captures LaGuardia's famous energy and theatricality. Fiorello LaGuardia served as mayor from 1934 to 1945 and is widely considered one of the greatest mayors in American history. He was the son of an Italian immigrant father and an Italian-Jewish mother, and he grew up to become the first Italian-American member of Congress. LaGuardia was born on December 11, 1882, at 177 Sullivan Street, just blocks from where his statue now stands. His time as mayor saw the construction of public housing, playgrounds, and infrastructure that transformed the city. He was also famous for reading the Sunday comics aloud on the radio during a newspaper strike so children wouldn't miss their favourite strips. The statue sits in LaGuardia Place Gardens, between Bleecker Street and West 3rd Street, surrounded by the neighbourhood where he grew up. If you're on a Questo quest through Greenwich Village, the LaGuardia monument is a stop where a local boy who became the city's most dynamic mayor is frozen mid-sentence, forever talking to his beloved New Yorkers.