MannyFest

The Bench

The Old Bench

The New Bench

     Everyone knows the bench. Everyone has probably spent some time on the bench. This bench is not unlike a monument on the village green in some quiet town. This bench sits in front of Elting Memorial Library, on Main Street, in the heart of the Village of New Paltz.
     When I started thinking about what kind of permanent memorial we could dedicate to Manny Lipton's memory, I thought of the benches on the rail trail, and then I thought about this bench. (I'd like to say I was sitting on this bench when the thought came to me, but I wasn't. I'll save that imaginary version of the story future retelling.) I still think of Manny's as Manny's Lounge, and what better way to remember him than with a memorial bench, a new Manny's Lounge.
     The initial idea was for a stone bench, that would blend in with the existing stone wall. Both the seat and back will be solid slabs of stone. The back will have a reproduction of the original Manny's Lounge sign, and below will be engraved "In Memory of Frieda and Manny Lipton."

     When I started this project, I met with Tom Kastner, Pascal and Ronnie Knapp, and Henry Cavanagh, to discuss our possibilities.Drawings and material lists were made, and we contacted a number of quarries to get estimates for the stone. We looked in different processes to do the engraving, and kicked around ideas for the transportation and installation of the finished bench.

Drawing of Proposed Bench by Pascal Knapp

     Prices for the just the stone ranged from $800 to $2000. The estimates for the lettering varied, depending on the method. For hand carved lettering, prices ran from between $15 ~ $30 per letter (for standard, no-frills sans-serif letters, one inch tall), to almost $1500 for slightly larger, fancier type faces.
     Sandblasting the letters, rather than hand chiseling, wasn't much different in price, as it required hand cutting a stencil, and then adhering it to the stone prior to actually blasting. Blasting would also incur costs for the expendable materials required for the process. Add to these estimates, the cost of transporting some extremely heavy chunks of stone from the quarry, to where ever the lettering would be done, and finally to the library.
     After considering a number of proposals, we found a quarryman in Gardiner, who was able to supply us with a single slab, four inches thick, which he then cut to the dimensions we provided for the seat and back of the bench, leaving each piece a little longer than our measurements, to allow for fitting to the existing space.
     For the lettering, cutting the slabs to the exact dimensions, constructing the legs and installing the bench, Pascal Knapp submitted a bid which came in lower than any of the other estimates. His studio is in Gardiner, which makes it easy for me to oversee the progress, and the quarryman delivered the stones right to Pascal's door. I worked up a drawing of the "Manny's Lounge" logo, and gave him some ideas for the rest of the inscription, then he and Ronnie scanned the originals into the computer, and printed the words on clear acetate in the size of the finished engraving. This allowed us to visualize how it would look, and after some minor adjustments, I signed off on Pascal's templates, and he is ready to begin.
     We met at the library to take final measurements, and Pascal and Ronnie are assembling templates for the support legs, the seat and the back. Pascal has some cutting to do on the slabs so that they fit the odd shape of the seat, and has to cut the legs to size so that the seat is level. He will then center the lettering templates, and begin carving. Upon completion, the quarryman will deliver the parts of the bench to the site, and using his crane, install the finished bench.
     For some photos of the work in progress, click here. Once the bench is in place, we will be having a dedication, so check back for more information, or click here to join the mailing list.

"Take a lounge off Manny, take a lounge for free"
The Band