Straus Park, Broadway and West End Ave, Upper West Side
“Lovely and pleasant were they in their lives and in their death they were not parted.”, Samuel 1:23
Features a bronze 1913 statue by American artist Augustus Lukeman of a nymph gazing over a calm expanse of water in memory of Ida and Isidor Straus, a United States congressman and co-owner of Macy’s, who perished on the RMS Titanic.
The engraving is in reference is to Ida’s choice to stay with her husband rather than get safely into a lifeboat. As the ship was sinking, a ship officer said he’d allow Isidor and his wife on. Isidor refused, as there were still women and children aboard the ship. Though he urged Ida to go without him, she refused, reportedly saying, “We have lived together for many years. Where you go, I go.”
This memorial used to hang in the Macy’s lobby, but apparently was removed in 2005 during a renovation. It simply reads “Their lives were beautiful and the deaths glorious” .
The plaque in Straus Park has a typo as the date was corrected.
Isidor and Ida were last seen sitting in chairs on the Titanic deck when a wave washed over them. James Cameron must not have seen that as touching enough so he rewrote the scene having them tucking each other into bed.
Many more photos and information can be found at the ScoutingNY blog and Josyann Abisaab‘s blog, whose great grandfather who died on the Titanic.
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