ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Rochester's preservation board unanimously approved the removal of a piece of artwork from the Dentzel Carousel at Ontario Beach Park.
"Victory is always sweet, but it's bittersweet because it shouldn't have taken this long," said one resident.
The decision was made at a meeting Wednesday night after some first called for the panel's removal eight months ago. Last month, the county gave the go-ahead to the city to remove the artwork displaying a racial caricature that dates back more than a century. Now comes the task of removing the panel from the historical carousel and the Rochester Museum and Science Center will lend a hand.
"The museum has the expertise to take the panel down and make sure it's properly preserved. From there, we'll move as expeditiously as possible with trying to get it replaced in an appropriate way and then we'll continue to move to engage the community as to how it is housed in the future and where we go from there," said Jim Smith, Rochester city spokesman.
A time table on that process has yet to be determined with a number of groups wanting to house the panel.