Paul Robeson Statue Planned For New Brunswick's Feaster Park

A bronze statue scheduled to be unveiled next year will allow city residents to take a seat right next to one of New Brunswick’s favorite sons.

A statue of Paul Robeson will greet residents at Feaster Park, which has been undergoing major renovations since last year.

Although craftsmen are working with the city to create the final design, the goal is to capture a strapping Robeson in the prime of his life, said Keith Jones II, the director of the Department of Human and Community Services.

With book in hand, Robeson will be seated in a casual, welcoming pose on a bench. The bench, which is also part of the sculpture, will have an open seat for others. This makes the sculpture interactive since many will want to take the opportunity to have their picture taken with Robeson.

The city will commission the husband and wife team of Jeffrey Varilla and Anna Koh Varilla to create the statue. The Chicago-based couple also created the statue in Monument Square Park of John Neilson, a local merchant who on July 9, 1776, climbed atop a table borrowed from the White Hall Tavern and read aloud the Declaration of Independence.

The statue will be part of a designated Robeson plaza in Feaster Park that will be created near the corner of Robeson Avenue and Handy Street, near the new amphitheater.

“You have generations of residents who really have no clue who Robeson is or don’t know anything about Robeson at all,” Jones said. “So, it’s one of those things that creates the opportunity for conversations about our history, the history of New Brunswick, Robeson’s history. At the same time, for those who know his history, yes, it keeps his name alive. It’s a proper tribute to an influential person in not only the city of New Brunswick but across the globe.”

The city has long marked the incredible achievements of Robeson – the athlete, author, attorney, actor, and international activist. Here in New Brunswick, he was a two-time All-American football player and the Class of 1919 valedictorian at Rutgers. It was here that he also honed his deep bass-baritone voice before eventually going on to a long career as a singer.

Robeson died in 1976, but his legacy lives on in New Brunswick. Commercial Avenue was rechristened Paul Robeson Boulevard in 2019. Soon after, Rutgers created a Robeson plaza with scenes from various stages of his life near College Avenue. Last summer the city, working in partnership with coLAB Arts and the New Brunswick School District, unveiled a Robeson mural entitled “Paul Speaks of Peace” at Recreation Park on Pine Street.

The members of a committee formed to oversee the creation and care of statues around the city, New Brunswick Public Sculpture, along with the Civic League of Greater New Brunswick, are taking great care in the creation of the Robeson statue. Jones said some minor changes were submitted to the artists last month, suggesting slightly altering the direction his head is facing.

Renovations on Feaster Park, one of the city’s most popular spaces for faith-based communities, summer recreation, school-based programming, community gardening, sports leagues, and fitness initiatives, is scheduled to be completed in time for a grand opening by late spring.

The renovations will also include two refurbished basketball courts, a water feature, a community garden, an outdoor classroom, a multipurpose field, and a walking/running track. 

Photo & Story By: Chuck O'Donnell