This is the left-most pedestal in front of the facade of the U.S Custom House. There are four in total, depicting the continents Africa, Europe and America. The famous American sculptor Daniel Chester French produced the pieces. And of course his most famous work is Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., so we are lucky to have these pieces in New York.

The building stands on the location of Fort Amsterdam, the original fort and center of the New Amsterdam settlement, the original settlement that became New York. I feel humbled to stand on that ground and think about the history and all that has passed.

The Custom House now has a few uses. It houses the National Museum of the American Indian George Gustav Heye Center and the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.

I love the contrast between the stone of the sculpture and the building itself, against the modern steel and glass behind in the shadows. And the facade is very dramatic at night, as streams of Wall Street bankers and lawyers pass through Bowling Green on their way home.

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