Central Park Artist Killed In Gazebo To Be Honored With Memorial Tree

CENTRAL PARK, NY — A Central Park regular who never met Francis Lee Rogers is working to honor the artist — who was beaten to death in the park at the end of September — with a new memorial tree and paving stone.

Andrew West, a Manhattanite who often visited the Ramble, said he first noticed Rogers on hiking trails, painting birds and talking with parkgoers.

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Rogers, also known as Elise Bainbridge Hill, was a longtime Central Park artist known for painting birds and other wildlife.

"Everybody that talked to her seemed like they really enjoyed her," West said. "I think that people were compelled by her art as well."

According to the New York City Police Department, she was found unconscious with head trauma near East Drive and East 74th Street in a gazebo near the Central Park Boathouse on Sunday, Sept. 27 at 9:43 a.m. Medics pronounced her dead at the scene.

Homeless, she often slept in the gazebo where she was found, and she was well known by the birding community in Central Park, who bought her detailed paintings of birds, West said.

Rogers was also the subject of the 2007 documentary, Begging Naked. The documentary captures her story as a talented artist who fled an abusive father as a teen and cycled through addiction, mental illness and homelessness.

After reading a New York Times story about her life and the circumstances of her death, West suggested in an online comment that Central Park create a memorial. More than 9,700 people supported the idea, he said.

He started a GoFundMe shortly after.

"I'm a big believer in action," West said. "I wanted her legacy to live on, since she was taken so soon from the Central Park community and that Ramble community."

He contacted the Central Park Conservancy, which approved a tree and paving stone near the Boathouse gazebo, he said. The memorial will cost $7,500, West said.

Donations beyond that amount will go to the Conservancy. The fundraiser had collected $237 as of Friday.

West said he did not know Rogers personally, but remembers seeing her interact with artists, tourists and other park regulars.

"I think she made a lot of people smile," West said.

Murders are rare in Central Park. According to NYPD data, this is the only murder in Central Park this year.

Shortly after the killing, police arrested 36-year-old Jonathan Robles and accused him of murder and criminal possession of a weapon, officials said.

West said he hopes the memorial will encourage visitors to learn about Rogers and the mark she left on the Central Park community. He also hopes it prompts people to look out for one another.

"I want Frances' legacy to be a voice for that," West said.

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For questions, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.