Renovation of Penn Station Eagle at Hicksville LIRR Station Completed
One of 22 original stone eagles that were perched atop the old Penn Station in New York City is nested in Hicksville . When that facility was demolished back in October of 1963, something had to be done with the beautiful figurines that surrounded the station that was built back in 1910.
Thanks to the efforts of Samuel A. Goldberg, a long time Hicksville Latin Language teacher, the stone statue was dedicated on May 15, 1965.
A group of Hicksville High School Students, led by Mr. Goldberg, were gathered around the sculpture of the Eagle and the dedication became official.
Goldberg and his Latin classes participated in the original dedication. Mr. Goldberg was the "Spiritus Movens" behind the eagle acquisition. He convinced then LIRR President Goodfellow that one of the Penn Station Eagles should be given to Hicksville .
Mr. Goldberg taught Latin in New Jersey for 18 years and after coming to Long Island in 1955, he taught the subject for another 20 years. He was Chairman of Foreign Languages at Hicksville High School until his untimely illness caused him to retire. He passed away in 1981.
Forty-five years of exposure to the elements caused damage to Hicksville 's eagle. The beak was a focal point of the repair.
An unsuccessful previous repair attempt had damaged the beak.
Sculptor Steve Tatti made the repairs over a period of time.
On October 29th, 2010 the 100 year-old eagle was rededicated at a ceremony held at the Hicksville station. The stone bird weighs almost 6,000 pounds.
The restoration included a plaque that renamed the eagle in honor of Mr. Goldberg.
Some pictures of the eagle are shown below.
