Arch soon to be free of scaffolding

The scaffolding on the Washington Sq. Arch should be coming down in about a month, according to Jonathan Kuhn, the Parks Department’s director of art & antiquities. The scaffolding’s removal means most of the exterior renovation work on the arch has been completed; this included many so-called “Dutchman’s” repairs, where new pieces of marble were used to replace missing or worn sculptural features on the arch’s facade. Five to six months’ more work remains, mainly on the arch’s interior, for such things as electrical wiring and other repairs. Because of the scaffolding, this year the traditional Christmas tree has been put up in the park’s northwest corner, instead of under the arch.