Wax On, Wax Off


James Estrin/The New York Times

Alison Greenberg, a historic preservation student in the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, applies a protective coating of hot wax to a bronze statue of Alfred E. Smith on Catherine Street. Greenberg’s assignment was part of a three-month internship she served last summer with the City Parks Foundation. She and other students performed maintenance and conservation work on the city’s outdoor monuments. “It was a great opportunity to get out into the field and apply what I learned in class to real projects,” she said. “I also learned a lot about the history of New York City and how many of its monuments came to be.” New York’s Democratic governor from 1919 to 1921 and from 1923 to 1929, Smith was the first Roman Catholic presidential nominee, in 1928.