The Harvey Rice Monument: A Centennial Celebration

One of the first winners of an SOS! Conservation Treatment Award is ready to brave another century of Cleveland winters. The Harvey Rice Monument was rededicated on October 7, 1999, after being disassembled, cleaned, and reassembled as part of The Sculpture Center’s fourth annual outdoor sculpture conservation program.

Funds for conservation ($10,000) were granted by Early Settlers Association of the Western Reserve and by Target Stores and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency, as part of Save Outdoor Sculpture! (SOS!). The monument received a Conservation Treatment Award from SOS! in the first round of the awards. The Sculpture Center also won an SOS! Achievement Award for the conservation of Max Kalin’s Abraham Lincoln (1929).

Object in Focus: Harvey Rice Monument
"My first experience in Cleveland was in the old academy on St. Clair street. Three schools of different grades were being conducted in it. Mr Rice gave me a hearty welcome, and did all that lay in his power to make me feel at home. He went on the theory that his pupils were gentlemen and ladies, and if they did not wish to conduct themselves as such they could leave the school."

These words from the 1886 Annals of Early Settlers Association capture one student's experience with Harvey Rice, who came to Cleveland from Conway, Massachusetts, in 1824 as a college graduate. Shortly after arriving, Rice taught at St. Clair Street Academy for two years. He followed this experience with legal training and served in the Ohio Senate; he held numerous positions in organizations at the local level. Most notably, he was a founder as well as the first president of Early Settlers Association of the Western Reserve, an organization dedicated to promoting the "spirit of the pioneers; to preserve for future generations the symbols, statues, mementos, buildings and other physical possessions of those pioneers; and to cooperate with historical societies and museums in their preservation." Rice held a significant role as an educator, legislator, and historian at the local and state levels. Upon his death, a Memorial Committee was formed by members of the Early Settlers Association and the Board of Education. Their goal was to commission a monument which would embody the man and his ideals.

James Hamilton answered the call. Hamilton had been granted a commission during the 1880s by the Early Settlers Association under the leadership of Harvey Rice. That project resulted in the earliest image of the City's founder, Moses Cleaveland [photo]. Shortly afterward, Hamilton began work at his Cleveland studio on the Harvey Rice Monument.

The sculpture is composed of three groups. On the tallest granite pedestal stands Harvey Rice, in the classical pose of an orator. Flanking him are two figural groups: the woman teaching a child commemorates his role as an educator and an educational reformer; the young boy holding the palm leaf symbolizes honor and the seated figure holds a scroll with Rice’s designation as "Father of the Common School System." The photo shows Hamilton at work on the plaster mold of the latter subsidiary figure group. The monument was cast by Bureau Brothers of Philadelphia in 1899 and dedicated in November of that year.

Treatment: Three Phases
Time has taken its toll on the century-old monument. Conservation began in July, when Tom Podnar and his assistants from McKay Lodge Fine Arts Conservation Laboratory began treatment of the monument in three phases. First, the subsidiary figures were removed from the base. This procedure was necessary due to a loose connection between these figures and the base. Each of the groups was removed, treated, and then re-attached.

During this process, two notes wrapped in cloth were discovered inside each of the figure groups. In one case, the note was nestled inside a green, unlabeled bottle, and in the other, the small sheet of paper was tucked inside bands of cloth resting on the granite. These “records” indicated that these subsidiary figure groups were re-anchored in 1978. Another discovery was sand from the casting process in the boy's raised leg. Weep holes were drilled and the sand was removed to protect the monument against unneeded pressure.

The second phase of the treatment process entailed the cleaning of the bronze with pressurized water, to remove surface corrosion. A chemical patina was applied and rubbed with steel wool to adjust the color of the bronze. Wax coatings were applied (hot and cold). Third, the granite base was cleaned. Special care was given to the polished stone beneath the figure of Harvey Rice and the incised tablet which lists the members of the Memorial Committee who determined, a century ago, to commission the sculpture.

A Celebration of Harvey Rice and James Hamilton
Recognizing Harvey Rice's contributions to local, state, and national educational reform and other endeavors was important, but equally significant was the emphasis on James Hamilton's life, training, and artistic intent.

The ceremony was held at the sculpture site. Bill Jirousek, The Sculpture Center administrator, and Jane Tesso, Conservation Committee chairperson, conducted the event. Special guests included third through fifth graders from Harvey Rice Elementary School, their art teacher Marla Keilin, Principal Shari Cleveland, and Lois Ann Reilly. Invited speakers included John Cimperman, president of Early Settlers Association of the Western Reserve; Brandon Buza and Jeanne Gratner, descendants of the James Hamilton; and the conservator, Tom Podnar. Richard Larrabee, regional superintendent of Cleveland Municipal Schools, presented Certificates of Appreciation to Brandon Buza and Jeanne Gratner. Proclamations were granted to The Sculpture Center and Early Settlers Association on behalf of Cleveland's Mayor, Michael White.

The event concluded with tours of the Fine Arts Garden and Adjacent Areas and a reception at The Sculpture Center. Twelve other sculptural groups in Cleveland's Fine Arts Garden and Adjacent Areas, owned by the City and ranging from 70 to 100 years old, were also included in The Sculpture Center’s conservation program. For the 12 other sculptures, the conservation costs range from $4,000 to $29,000, depending on size, media, and condition. These funds were granted by area organizations, foundations, and individuals. In-kind contributions, most notably the 25-year commitment from The Cleveland Museum of Art to provide yearly maintenance for the sculptures in the Fine Arts Garden, underscored the need for initial conservation.

Links:

The Sculpture Center

McKay Lodge Fine Arts Conservation Laboratory

To see previous Preservation Projects of the Month, click here.

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