What will happen to 'Neshaminy Indian' statue at sold mall in Bensalem?
For nearly 55 years, the bare-chested Lenni-Lenape chief named Tawanka has crouched for a sip of water atop a rock plateau overlooking a waterfall leading to a pond inside the Neshaminy Mall in Bensalem. An anxious-looking beaver watches the serene scene captured in bronze.
From his vantage point, the mighty chief has watched shoppers, employees and stores come and go. In recent years, mostly the latter.
Nearly a year after its sale, the future of the Neshaminy Mall — first major Bucks County shopping mecca — remains unclear, beyond that most of its structure will be demolished, according to the new owner.
But what about the Tawanka statue and his "fountain of tranquility"?
'The Indian will be preserved,' the Bensalem mall's manager Pat Conte confirmed recently.
Paramount Realty and Edgewood Properties, who bought the mall last June, are well aware of the concern about the fate of the beloved bronze statue, which attracted thousands of coin-tossing visitors over the decades.
At this point there are no specific plans on how the fountain might be incorporated into the redevelopment plan, Conte said. There is a chance it won't be, too.
But either way, the statute, along with the three remaining animatronics displays of Colonial life, known as dioramas, in the wall behind the fountain will survive.
'They will not be destroyed,' Conte said.
What is the history of the Neshaminy Mall Indian?
'The Neshaminy Indian' is as much an iconic symbol of the Bensalem mall as its dioramas and the wing-topped totem pole that once loomed over Route 1 near the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
But the statute is not original to the 1-million square-foot mall, which opened in 1968 as the sixth interior mall built in the Greater Philadelphia area.
The original indoor fountain outside the entrance of anchor store Strawbridge & Clothier was a minimalistic inspired one featuring white cement rectangle stacks. It was flanked by globe-topped light poles, white brick planters and wood benches giving the area a park-like feel.
At some point after the mall opened Strawbridge & Clothier commissioned a Philadelphia artist to create a new fountain inspired by the Lenni-Lenape, a Delaware tribe that lived along the Neshaminy Creek.
The bronze cast "Neshaminy Indian" fountain was dedicated Sept. 9, 1970 as part of a larger historical display the Strawbridge family commissioned for outside its store. For decades it was a major attraction for visitors collecting who knows how many pennies tossed in its shallow pool.
The second fountain was much larger than the original, which is among the reasons it was replaced.
The Strawbridge family wanted to make their store — with its swanky balcony 'Corinthian Room' restaurant —stand out as the mall centerpiece, though it was not physically located in the building's center, according to Skycity2blogspot.
The iconic Native American statue overlooking what was once a working fountain is showing his age after nearly 55 years in front of the former Strawbridge and Clothier anchor store at the Neshaminy Mall. The mall's manager assures that the bronze sculpture will not be destroyed.
'Apparently Strawbridge's wanted to showcase their store with a much showier fountain with historic precedent to replace the more basic concrete fountain that was put there when the mall opened,' according to the post.
The Strawbridge family also wanted to honor the area's Native-American and early Colonial American history, according to the blog post.
'This was their contribution to Neshaminy Mall,' the post said.
What do we know about Henry Mitchell, the 'Neshaminy Indian' artist
Henry Mitchell was an American sculptor who made his mark in Philadelphia where many of his works are public installations.
Mitchell was born in Ohio. He served in the U.S. Coast Guard during World War II. He earned a degree in economics from Princeton University before working as a motor company executive.
He moved to Philadelphia in 1948 when he decided to change careers, according to the Woodmere Art Museum.
Mitchell enrolled in the Temple University Tyler School of Art where he received his Master's degree then went to Italy where he spent two years studying sculpture on a Fulbright Fellowship. He died at age 65 in 1980.
Bronze was Mitchell's favorite medium and animals his preferred subject, according to the Canton Museum of Art. A life-size bronze beaver is part of the "Neshaminy Indian" fountain installation.
His bronze relief horse fountain on the East Terrace of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the winged bull that symbolizes Jefferson University, Dancing Children above the entrance to the Cobbs Creek Recreation Center and statue of Saint Fiacre in the Philadelphia History Museum Garden are among his most prominently displayed works in Philadelphia.
What does the 'Neshaminy Indian' fountain look like today?
His once deep bronze finish has faded to a dull gray-green with time and sun exposure from the skylight above the fountain.
The flat jagged rock pile that tempted the hands and feet of curious children remains intact, but the fountain hasn't operated for years. According to a Facebook post, the fountain water was turned off at some point because people were 'bathing' in it.
A layer of Cookie Monster blue moss stands in for what was once flowing water covering.
The bronze sculpture of a beaver is seen hiding among a mix of artificial and dying live plants as part of the iconic Native American fountain display at the Neshaminy Mall in Bensalem
Artificial plants are mixed among live palms with yellowed and brown withered leaves ring the installation. The bronze beaver statue, also green-tinted with age, sits on a rock near the fountain pool.
The black and gold embossed bronze dedication plaque is still easily readable.
The installation is surrounded by the boarded up former Macy's entrance, a popup wedding boutique, a custom graphics business, and massage chairs.
Reporter Jo Ciavaglia can be reached at jciavaglia@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Neshaminy Mall 'Indian' statue will survive mall redevelopment
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