A contractor lifts the statue of William Donald Schaefer onto its permanent platform. (Baltimore Sun photo by Lloyd Fox / October 29, 2009) |
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He flew through the air like a modern-day Mary Poppins or a balloon in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Over Harborplace, over the Baltimore Visitor Center, a 7-foot-2-inch bronze statue of William Donald Schaefer was lifted by crane and touched down on the west shore of the Inner Harbor Thursday in preparation for its official unveiling on Monday, Schaefer's 88th birthday.
Sculptor Rodney Carroll fashioned a harness that he used to carefully position the 1,100-pound statue onto a marble slab bearing dates noting Schaefer's years of service as City Council member, mayor of Baltimore, governor of Maryland and state comptroller - 52 years in all.
The statue and surrounding garden, on city-owned property between the Light Street Pavilion of Harborplace and the visitors center, are a gift to the city from construction magnate Willard Hackerman. It depicts Schaefer in a business suit with his left hand waving and his right hand holding one of his famous "action memos."
The sight of Schaefer's statue flying through the air drew a small crowd of onlookers. After bolting the statue to the marble, Carroll and his assistants covered it with a box so it would be out of sight until Monday's 1 p.m. public ceremony.
Carroll said he was happy that the installation went so smoothly. He said he had originally intended to position the figure so it faced the harbor but decided at the last minute to turn it slightly so that it is also waving toward City Hall, where Schaefer spent most of his career.
"I'm really pleased with it," he said. "The scale of the whole site is just wonderful."
Landscape architect Carol Macht, who designed the surrounding garden, said she wanted the statue and landscaping to work together. "I'm delighted with the way the sculpture fits the space," she said. "It's comfortable. It feels like it fits here."
"It's a remarkable likeness," said Patricia May, a Federal Hill resident who was walking with a companion and stopped to watch the installation. "I thought he'd have a swimming suit on and a rubber duckie under his arm. We were debating whether he should be here. ... But when you look around, he did a lot for the city."
"I think the likeness is lovely," said Dolores Tonelson, who lives in the Christ Lutheran Church apartments at 600 Light St. "I like the way his hand is extended, because he was such a friend of Baltimore."
"I think it's great," said Boyce Flora of Glen Burnie, who volunteers at the visitors center. "He was a crusader. I don't care if you're a Democrat or a Republican. He accomplished a lot for Baltimore."
Elizabeth Homer, a Federal Hill resident and retired administrator with Maryland's Department of Transportation, said Schaefer was her boss for many years and she used to see him at Board of Public Works meetings in Annapolis. Since she now takes daily walks along the harbor, she said, "I'll get to see him every day. ... This will be much more pleasant."
Over Harborplace, over the Baltimore Visitor Center, a 7-foot-2-inch bronze statue of William Donald Schaefer was lifted by crane and touched down on the west shore of the Inner Harbor Thursday in preparation for its official unveiling on Monday, Schaefer's 88th birthday.
Sculptor Rodney Carroll fashioned a harness that he used to carefully position the 1,100-pound statue onto a marble slab bearing dates noting Schaefer's years of service as City Council member, mayor of Baltimore, governor of Maryland and state comptroller - 52 years in all.
The statue and surrounding garden, on city-owned property between the Light Street Pavilion of Harborplace and the visitors center, are a gift to the city from construction magnate Willard Hackerman. It depicts Schaefer in a business suit with his left hand waving and his right hand holding one of his famous "action memos."
The sight of Schaefer's statue flying through the air drew a small crowd of onlookers. After bolting the statue to the marble, Carroll and his assistants covered it with a box so it would be out of sight until Monday's 1 p.m. public ceremony.
Carroll said he was happy that the installation went so smoothly. He said he had originally intended to position the figure so it faced the harbor but decided at the last minute to turn it slightly so that it is also waving toward City Hall, where Schaefer spent most of his career.
"I'm really pleased with it," he said. "The scale of the whole site is just wonderful."
Landscape architect Carol Macht, who designed the surrounding garden, said she wanted the statue and landscaping to work together. "I'm delighted with the way the sculpture fits the space," she said. "It's comfortable. It feels like it fits here."
"It's a remarkable likeness," said Patricia May, a Federal Hill resident who was walking with a companion and stopped to watch the installation. "I thought he'd have a swimming suit on and a rubber duckie under his arm. We were debating whether he should be here. ... But when you look around, he did a lot for the city."
"I think the likeness is lovely," said Dolores Tonelson, who lives in the Christ Lutheran Church apartments at 600 Light St. "I like the way his hand is extended, because he was such a friend of Baltimore."
"I think it's great," said Boyce Flora of Glen Burnie, who volunteers at the visitors center. "He was a crusader. I don't care if you're a Democrat or a Republican. He accomplished a lot for Baltimore."
Elizabeth Homer, a Federal Hill resident and retired administrator with Maryland's Department of Transportation, said Schaefer was her boss for many years and she used to see him at Board of Public Works meetings in Annapolis. Since she now takes daily walks along the harbor, she said, "I'll get to see him every day. ... This will be much more pleasant."
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TODAY THEY ARE HONORING ONE OF THE GREATEST POLITICIANS OF OUR TIME, WHO HAS DONE MORE FOR THE STATE OF MARYLAND THEN ANY ONE PERSON. WILLIAM DONALD SCHAEFER DESERVES THIS AND MUCH MORE, KUDOS MR. MAYOR.
KMAN1830 (11/02/2009, 12:26 PM )