County commissioned statue of Moses coming to Babylon

by Carolyn James

Clay rendering of Robert Moses Statue commissioned by Suffolk County under its Downtown Revitalization program.

Robert Moses, dressed in a suit and standing with one hand on his hips and the other holding a set of plans, has taken on almost a new life. The statue of one of the most famous Babylon Town residents, which will be cast in bronze and placed near the greenhouse in Babylon Village, is nearly complete.

The project is funded through a county program designed to promote the arts in local downtown areas. Commissioned to sculpt the statue of Moses was a California-based artist, Jose Ismael Fernandez whose work includes projects at Treasure Island Hotel in Las Vegas as well as major motion pictures.

Once the statue is delivered, it will be set against a backdrop that is currently being sketched out by an architect under Fernandez’ artistic eye. Those plans, will be presented to a local committee for approval and the statue will be placed in front of the Babylon Village Hall.

The project has taken about a year longer than anticipated, but Babylon townCouncilman Wayne Horsley said that is due to the fact that the county does not usually commission artists. "This was not like the usual procurement procedure that government is used to dealing with," said Horsley. "It was a lot more complicated so it took longer than we expected, but seeing this rendering has been like coming back to meet an old friend, which in some ways it is for a lot of us."