About the Nobel Monument

Background
No other country has had as many Nobel Prize recipients as the United States. 296 Americans have had their achievements universally recognized since this prestigious award was first presented in 1901. Prior to the centennial celebration of the Nobel Prize in 2001, a suggestion was made for a monument to be raised in New York City to honor the many American Nobel Laureates as well as Alfred Nobel.

On October 14, 2003, the monument, raised in Theodore Roosevelt Park, was presented as a gift to the people of the City of New York. It was then unveiled by New York's Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Sweden's Deputy Prime Minister at the time, Ms. Margareta Winberg and a number of other distinguished guests. The monument, designed by renowned Swedish sculptor Sivert Lindblom, presents the lengthy list of American Laureates and also leaves ample space for future honorees to be engraved.

"The monument will be a lasting memorial commemorating a great Swede, but above all, it will be a monument honoring the many American recipients of the prize," according to former Consul General of Sweden Olle Wästberg.

Former Consul General of Sweden in New York, Mr. Dag Sebastian Ahlander, and former Parks Commissioner Mr. Henry J. Stern, were the initiators and initial promoters of this idea, which gained considerable support among the Nobel Laureates. The monument was approved by New York City's Art Commission in November 2001. The City of New York has accepted the monument as a gift.

Location
The Nobel Monument stands in New York's Theodore Roosevelt Park on 81st Street and Columbus Avenue, behind the American Museum of Natural History. Thus, it is placed adjacent to what probably is the most-visited museum in the world. This location also has a great symbolic value, as Theodore Roosevelt was the first American to be awarded the prize in 1906 (Peace).

Click here for a map of the location

Design
Sivert Lindblom, one of Sweden's foremost designers of urban spaces and the artist behind the Holocaust Monument in Stockholm, has designed the Nobel Monument.

Lindblom's simple and classic design using red granite mined from the southern part of Sweden presents the lengthy list of American Nobel Prize recipients. Lindblom's design also leaves ample space for the names of future American honorees to be entered. There is room left for entering new names for approximately 40 years.

The typography was designed by Lars Hall AB in Sweden.

Click here for more information on sculptor Sivert Lindblom

Production and installation
The monument was produced by the stonemasonry Naturstenskompaniet (formerly known as AP STEN and Skånska Granit) in Sweden. The installation of the monument and the preparation of the site are the result of the combined efforts of several organizations, including: Skanska (Slattery Skanska, Gottlieb Skanska, Koch Skanska); Minelli Construction Company Inc.; New York City Department of Parks and Recreation; U.A. Construction Corp.; Bay Rebar Construction Corp. and Ferrara Bros Building Materials Corp.

The inscriptions of the names of the American Nobel Laureates from 2003 to 2005 were prepared by Lars Hall AB and Naturstenskompaniet and subsequently carried out on site by the engraving company Written In Stone.

Groundbreaking ceremony
Work began in earnest on December 17, 2001 with a groundbreaking ceremony.

Click here for photos and other information about the groundbreaking ceremony