Conservation Projects: 1999 - 2002

 

Millenium Project 1999 - 2002

Conservation of thirteen sculptural groups in the Fine Arts Garden and adjacent areas is the fourth annual conservation program undertaken by The Sculpture Center. The sculptures, which are owned by the City of Cleveland and date from 1899-1929, were intended as visual adornment for the newly-built Cleveland Museum of Art. Allegorical figures such as The Fountain of the Waters, Sun, Earth, and Mermaids were sculpted by Chester Beach, while Frank Jirouch created his monument in homage to the passage of time in Night Passing Earth to Day. Spring Racing the Wind, although cast in 1929, was brought to the Garden area in 1939. In addition to allegorical sculptures such as these, other sculptures signify the lives of individuals such as Harvey Rice, Marcus Hanna, Louis Kossuth, and Milan Stefanik. A pair of historic lamp posts will be conserved as well.

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Louis Kossuth
by Andreas Toth
1902 Euclid Ave., Stearns Ave.
Cleveland, OH

Conserved August 2000.

Notes about this sculpture: Not much is known about the sculptor, Andreas Toth. The Magyar American Citizens of Cleveland commissioned this monument in honor of the fiftieth anniversary of his visit to the United States (1851-52). Kossuth was a devoted Hungarian patriot who participated zealously in the reform movement for political and civil liberties in Hungary; his visit to the U.S. was an attempt to raise awareness of Hungary's fight against the forces of oppression.

 

 

  
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Marcus Hanna
by Augustus Saint-Gaudens
1907 Euclid Ave., Chester Ave.
Cleveland, OH

Conserved August 2000.

Notes about this sculpture: The only outdoor sculpture by Saint Gaudens in the state of Ohio, the monument to Marcus Hanna is one of the pride and joys of Cleveland sculpture. It was rumored that the sculpture was sand-blasted in the 1960s as a means of "cleaning" the bronze surface. Conservators have confirmed, however, that the sculpture is in remarkable condition nonetheless. Hanna, a Cleveland industrialist, was active in politics as well, handling McKinley's 1896 campaign for the presidency and serving as an Ohio senator.

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Harvey Rice
by James Hamilton (1899)
Fine Arts Garden Area, East Boulevard
Cleveland, OH

Conserved July 1999.

Notes about this sculpture: The Harvey Rice Monument was created by James G.C. Hamilton in 1899. Hamilton's work is also visible on Public Square in Cleveland. A native of Conway, Massachusetts, Rice graduated from Williams College in 1824. He moved to Cleveland later that year with nothing but his diploma and three dollars in his pocket. Rice made his most significant impact as a State senator. He secured passage of the School Law of 1853, which created a uniform district structure and established an equitable system of taxation to benefit the schools. For this, he is known as the "Father of Public Education" in Ohio.

 

 

  
 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Milan Stefanik
by Frico Miroslav Motoska (1922)
Intersection of Jeptha Drive and Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive
Cleveland, OH

Conserved August 1999.

Notes about this sculpture: The memorial to General Milan Stefanik was funded by the Cleveland Chapter of the Slovak League of America. The sculpture was carved in Slovakia and shipped to the United States. Born in 1880, Stefanik is a national hero in Slovakia. He was killed in an airplane accident in 1919 and is commemorated here with his native outfit, surveying binoculars, and wings unfurled at his feet.

 

 

  
 

 

 

  

Earth
by Chester Beach (1929)
Fine Arts Garden
Cleveland, OH

Conserved September 1999.

Report Forthcoming.

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

  

Sun
by Chester Beach (1929)
Fine Arts Garden
Cleveland, OH

Conserved September 1999.

Notes about this sculpture: Sun and Earth, gifts of Mrs. Leonard C. Hanna, were cast in Rome, Italy. Together with The Fountain of the Waters, these sculptures express the theme of the movement of the waters.

 


  
 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Spring Racing the Wind
by Frank Jirouch (1929)
Fine Arts Garden
Cleveland

Conserved October 1999.

Notes about this sculpture: Originally installed as a lawn adornment on the estate of a Cleveland family, this sculpture has found a perfect home amidst the trees of the Fine Arts Garden. Originally entitled The Spirit of Spring, this allegorical representation holds flowers inher hands and songbirds adorn her figure.

 

 

  
 

 

 

 

 

  

Night Passing Earth to Day
by Frank Jirouch (1929)
Fine Arts Garden
Cleveland, OH

Conserved October 1999.

Notes about this sculpture: This allegorical sculpture was the gift of Mrs. Benjamin B. Bole. The two female figures represent Night and Day. The two are supporting a large globe that has a sundial and calendar on its surface. Night passes the globe (Earth) to Day, who stains under the immense weight and takes the globe onto her back.

 

 

  
 

 

 

  

Mermaids
by Fidardo Landi and Chester Beach (1929)
Fine Arts Garden
Cleveland, OH

Conserved October 1999.

Notes about this sculpture: Begun by Fidardo Landi, this stone sculpture was completed by Chester Beach in 1929. The marble figures are seated leisurely on the East side of the lagoon.

 

  
     
About       1998       1997       1996        Resources        Videos
 
     

 

If you would like more information about outdoor sculpture conservation and associated educational activities, please contact The Sculpture Center at 216.229.6527.