Renovations to a 119-year-old monument in front of the Ansonia Library are underway.
The Ansonia Historical Commission and the Friends of the Ansonia Historical Commission are trying to secure more donations to pay for the restoration and repairs.
The renovations cost about $8,000, and the project has received about $4,000 in grants from the New Haven Community Foundation and the Katharine Matthies Foundation.
The monument was donated by Caroline Phelps Stokes, a philanthropist and granddaughter of Ansonia’s founder.
The monument is in honor of Anna Sewell, the author of Black Beauty.
The Evening Sentinel has articles dating as far back as 1957 detailing vandalism and deterioration at the site.
“A rope was tied around the pillar and it was pulled down with a car,” the Sentinel wrote in a March 11, 1957 article.
There have been no past repairs recorded.
Lyric Hall, a New Haven restoration company, was hired to do the repairs.
Lyric Hall is the company that restored the clock at the Ansonia Library more than a year ago.