Unveiling a Tall Tribute to a Towering Abolitionist
The sound of bells rang across Judiciary Square yesterday when the 850-pound bronze of Frederick Douglass was lowered onto its marble base.
The statue of the legendary abolitionist and Washingtonian, shrouded in green blankets and clear plastic wrap, had been wrestled from a flatbed truck by a crew of ironworkers, hoisted with a special gantry and then eased into place in the lobby of One Judiciary Square, at 441 Fourth St. NW.
Okay, so the bells were only tolling the time, high noon. And the audience was mostly the workers, passersby and the statue's creator, Maryland sculptor Steven Weitzman, who watched like an anxious parent with his thumbs hooked in the pockets of his jeans.
Yet the sculpture, which was designed for -- but might never see -- eventual display in the U.S. Capitol, was pronounced grand by those who saw its installation.
Read entire article at WaPo
The statue of the legendary abolitionist and Washingtonian, shrouded in green blankets and clear plastic wrap, had been wrestled from a flatbed truck by a crew of ironworkers, hoisted with a special gantry and then eased into place in the lobby of One Judiciary Square, at 441 Fourth St. NW.
Okay, so the bells were only tolling the time, high noon. And the audience was mostly the workers, passersby and the statue's creator, Maryland sculptor Steven Weitzman, who watched like an anxious parent with his thumbs hooked in the pockets of his jeans.
Yet the sculpture, which was designed for -- but might never see -- eventual display in the U.S. Capitol, was pronounced grand by those who saw its installation.