It’s the reunion that’s been 350 years in the making… the iconic, historical monument; Whisper the bull, will soon meet his bull rider. The First-ever statue of Richard Smythe is being unveiled this Saturday, September 19th at 10:30AM on the lawn of Damianos Realty Group at the intersection of Main Street and Route 111. Smithtown residents, local officials, business owners and history buffs alike are all welcome to attend the unveiling of Smithtown’s first father. Local officials participating in the ceremony will include Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, Supervisor Vecchio, Town Historian Brad Harris, Chamber of Commerce President Mark Mancini, Chris Damianos and the sculptor of course. We are told that members of the Smythe lineage will be attending the event as well.
The first-ever bronze sculpture of Richard Smythe was made possible thanks to a vision from Cris Damianos who convinced his brothers of the idea. Damianos’ passion for Smithtown history and legend, led to the notion that a statue to honor the Town’s founder was needed and he had the location; in the middle of town for all to see. The 350th anniversary of Smithtown, gave Damianos the perfect timing to see out his vision. After the funds were approved from Damianos Realty Group, Chris began his search for the perfect sculptor.
The bronze statue, created by StudioEIS of Red Hook, Brooklyn, was commissioned to commemorate Smithtown’s 350th birthday. The experts at EIS have created significant sculptures for Philadelphia’s Constitution Hall as well as images of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Benjamin Franklin for museums throughout the country. Without photos or paintings, for EIS artists to sculpt a precise depiction of Richard Smythe, they opted to collaborate with a number experts. They used surviving personal effects, information from Smythe’s descendants and Ned Smith, the family historian. They even consulted with a geneticists using DNA to determine Smythe’s build and other pertinent characteristics.
Damiano’s Realty Group is located at 180 Route 111 (at Middle Country Road) in Smithtown