New York harbor has lost part of its living history with the passing of Sal Polisi, longtime volunteer and master carver at the South Street Seaport Museum. For three decades, Polisi carved everything from figureheads to wooden signs, using the time honored methods of a master craftsman. All his work was done by hand, without power tools or computers. Beyond his remarkable skills, he also a friendly face at the museum and was well loved by all who knew him.  He will be sorely missed.

From South Street Seaport president, Captain Jonathan Boulware:

It is with a heavy heart that we mark the passing of our own Sal Polisi, master woodcarver, Seaport stalwart for well over thirty years, and gentleman of few peers.

Salvatore Polisi, born in 1935, served in the US Navy and worked as a manager in manufacturing until the early 1980’s. But these are not the things that defined him. He found his real passion in life through his work at the Seaport and the friends and family he built there over his lengthy tenure. Through his work as a woodcarver, he brought to life the messages, objects, people, and animals in his sculptures. Through his informal role as docent, greeter, tour-guide, and storyteller, he brought to life the Seaport itself.

I first met Sal when I came to South Street Seaport Museum as captain of a visiting sailing ship in about 1998. He was the first face I saw one early morning when I walked down the deck of the barge that served as a mooring location between piers 15 and 16. Sal was headed out, coffee in hand, to see what new vessel had arrived overnight and we met mid-way. Eyeing me with a unique and difficult-to-describe mixture of welcoming smile and cautious suspicion (this was after all, Sal’s waterfront and I was an unfamiliar face), he greeted me. It didn’t take but a moment for his face to break into that unforgettable Polisi smile. I came to know that greeting better when I returned to the Museum years later and we began to work together planning for his installation of his figurehead “Penelope” on the bow of WAVERTREE. The greeting, and the hospitality that came with it, were a hallmark of Sal Polisi’s life. He always had time for a warm hello, a story, or a cup of coffee with the countless waterfront friends he developed over the years, from fishmongers to local police to visiting tourists. There’s still a table in a local restaurant with a small, hand-lettered sign that asserts the table is “Reserved for Sal Polisi.”

We move forward here at South Street Seaport Museum, building on the work done by those who came before us. We work to preserve the history, the vessels, and the skills of maritime New York. Sal stood among a group of people who dedicated their lives to that work, and perhaps more importantly to the work of building community. It is Sal’s easy manner, his casual and genuine welcoming way, that I will miss most. His work will continue. Penelope will indeed be hung under WAVERTREE’s bowsprit upon her return from shipyard. She isn’t complete. Sal had hoped to complete her himself, but was prevented from doing so by the very thing that made him irreplaceably special: he stopped his work to engage visitors, to talk to staff and volunteers. He set down his mallet and chisel to plan a sign for a shop, a centerpiece for a wedding, or a headboard for marriage bed. He was interested in people and in engaging them. And so we’ll carry on the work. We’ll hang that figurehead in memory of Sal Polisi, master woodcarver, Seaport Museum volunteer, friend, and gentleman.

Bon voyage, Sal. We wish you fair winds and following seas on your next journey.

Captain Jonathan Boulware
Interim President
South Street Seaport Museum

Visiting at the N. F. Walker Funeral Home, 2039 Merrick Ave., Merrick, NY on Wednesday the 21st of January from 2-4 and from 7-9pm. Funeral mass will be at Cure of Ars Roman Catholic Church, 2323 Merrick Ave., Merrick, New York on Thursday the 22nd at 10am.