Contemplate this: a businessman forever frozen in a moment. Here we are in Zuccotti Park. We are face to face with the Double Check sculpture. This life-size bronze figure is by J. Seward Johnson II. He is renowned for his realistic sculptures of ordinary people.
Double Check depicts a businessman sitting on a metal bench. He is checking his notes. The notes are on Merrill Lynch letterhead. He is preparing for a meeting. His attire is modern. However, a clunky calculator and tape recorder in his briefcase date him.
Originally, Merrill Lynch displayed this piece in Liberty Park in 1982. Liberty Park was just east of the World Trade Center. After the September 11, 2001 attacks, Double Check became a memorial. It honored the 3,000 victims.
Amidst the ash-covered ruins, some mistook the statue for a dazed survivor. Flowers and notes were left by the sculpture. It became a symbol of the common worker. He represented those who died trying to make a living.
Johnson created a duplicate titled Makeshift Memorial. He welded casts of tokens left at the original to it. He used a gray patina to evoke the ash of 9/11. Makeshift Memorial sits in Jersey City. It faces the Financial District.
The original Double Check was refurbished. It now sits facing the World Trade Center site. Scratches and bruises remain. These serve as a reminder of that day.
In 2006, Liberty Plaza Park was renovated. It was renamed Zuccotti Park. Double Check continued as an unofficial memorial.
Interestingly, John Seward Johnson II was part of the Johnson & Johnson family. He was fired from the family business in 1962. He then turned to art.
During the Occupy Wall Street protests, the statue was defaced. Protesters stuffed trash in his briefcase. They tied a mask around his face. This act was widely condemned.
Double Check stands as a tribute to the common working man. It is a symbol of survival. It is a poignant reminder of hope. It shows endurance for us all.
There were originally seven casts of Double Check. Five of these were sold. The damaged Double Check was on loan from Johnson during the 9/11 attacks.
The Double Check statue, initially a passing comment on everyday life, became much more. It became an iconic stand-in for those who didn’t make it. A poignant symbol of survival in the Financial District. It embodies the resilience of New York City itself.