NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- The Museum of Natural History on Manhattan's Upper West Side may be removing its statue of President Theodore Roosevelt, for its racist depiction of Roosevelt flanked by a Native American and a Black man, but Nassau County has no plans to follow suit.
County Executive Laura Curran announced on Monday — one day after the museum announced its intentions — that the county will not rename a government building, nor will a statue of the former president be removed.
"There will be no change to the name of the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building, and the statue erected in his honor will stay right where it is," Curran tweeted.
The building, formerly known as the Old Nassau County Courthouse, is located on Franklin Avenue in Mineola.
Curran justified the decision in her statement, calling Roosevelt "a son of Nassau County whose boldness of vision and significant accomplishments still set the standard for great American leadership."
"Teddy Roosevelt established the United States as an enduring world power, introduced consumer protection as a critical function of government, pioneered our national park system and the cause of environmental conservation," she wrote.
The Old Nassau County Courthouse was renamed for Roosevelt in 2002, according to a press release issued by Nassau County that year.
Roosevelt laid the building’s cornerstone on July 13, 1900, when he was still governor of New York state, according to the release.