Troy city leaders say monument was painted without permission

TROY – The Uncle Sam Memorial Pavilion in Troy’s Prospect Park has been painted over. The colorful display has some people seeing red.

The Uncle Sam Pavilion was first built 12 years ago. It was all white and paid tribute solely to Uncle Sam.

According to the Troy Record, the monument was repainted by a group called Guardians of History.

Their changes also feature new plaques of civil rights activists like Garnet Baltimore — the first Black engineer and graduate of RPI — women’s education trailblazers such as Emma Willard and many others. The goal? To shine more light on lesser known hidden figures.

However, Troy City Council President Carmella Mantello says she’s received feedback from Troy residents and other officials and they say it’s not what they did that has her upset.

Hear what the next steps could be for the monument now by watching the video of Tiffany Payton’s story.