Olympic Games Friezes at Alumni Arena, Coventry Entrance, University at Buffalo North Campus. South view of the 2-sided installation.
Olympic Games Friezes at Alumni Arena, Coventry Entrance, University at Buffalo North Campus. South view of the 2-sided installation.
In 1920 Buffalo-born sculptor Charles Cary Rumsey was commissioned to create 3 plaster bas-reliefs to be later used for
cast-concrete friezes for the Isaac L. Rice Stadium in Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx. The 3 panels total 60 feet in length
and depict athletes competing in Olympic events: equestrian events, tennis, lacrosse, water sports, and track and field events.
The finished concrete friezes were installed in 1927 and remained
until Rice stadium was demolished in 1989, at which time
they were also destroyed.
Casts of plaster/burlap reinforced
with steel rods had been made from the original mold and, in 1934, the casts were
bequeathed
to the University (of) Buffalo by Charles Cary Rumsey's widow, Mary Harriman Rumsey. Four years later
they were installed
in Clark Gym on the South Campus where they remained for 55 years, sustaining wear and
minor damage.
In 1993, the plaster friezes were removed from Clark Gym and the UB Casting Institute began the long process of conservation
and restoration of the panels in anticipation of future casting in bronze. Private funding from numerous sources including
foundations and corporations was solicited to cast the friezes and create the installation frame to hold them. In summer 2004
the Charles Cary Rumsey Olympic Games Friezes were installed beside the entrance to Alumni Arena (Conventry Entrance),
once again returned to the day's light.
Note on the artist: Charles Cary Rumsey, born in Buffalo, is remembered for his sculpture in the Beaux-Arts Style. A noted
amateur athlete in polo and boxing, he often sculpted animals, especially horses. He also created works for parks, memorials,
and private clients. He died in an automobile accident in 1922 at age 43.
In Western New York, numerous pieces of his work are visible. The Burchfield-Penney Art Center has a permanent collection
of his works. Out-of-doors, his work can be seen at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery (Pizarro), Forest Lawn (Three Graces),
and
the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society (Centaur).
For more information on Charles Cary Rumsey, see the pages at Buffalo as an Architectural Museum.
Reference materials for this page include information from Patricia Donovan's articles in the UB Reporter.