Lincoln SOS! Project Endorsed
SOS! proudly announces that it has received endorsement from the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission (ALBC) for its proposed project, Lincoln SOS!—Saving Abraham Lincoln’s Monumental Legacy. The ALBC was created by Congress to inform the public about the impact Abraham Lincoln had on the development of our nation and to find the best possible ways to honor his accomplishments. The President, the Senate, and the House of Representatives appointed a 15-member commission to commemorate the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln and to emphasize the contribution of his thoughts and ideals to America and the world.
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| Abraham Lincoln by Alfonso Pelzer (1915) in Detroit, Michigan. The sculpture was moved to the Downtown Detroit Public Library in 1958 and was a Conservation Treatment Award recipient. |
The official public Bicentennial Commemoration launches February 2008 and closes February 2010, with the climax of the Commemoration taking place on February 12, 2009, the 200th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth.
According to the Inventory of American Sculpture, Abraham Lincoln is the most honored person in America’s outdoor sculpture. As our nation prepares to celebrate his bicentennial birthday, these memorials will assume increased significance. Citizens looking to commemorate Lincoln’s legacy will turn to statues in town squares and parks, at county courthouses and local high schools, on busy street corners and country roads. These sculptures are tangible reminders of the extraordinary man whose values and courage helped save our union.
What will be found at these statues will be an unpleasant surprise, since half the more than 220 Lincoln outdoor sculptures across the country are in serious disrepair. Time has not been kind to these outdoor monuments. Pollution, weather, vandalism, and structural weaknesses have worked together to damage these precious works, created by some of America’s finest sculptors. Finishes are discolored; materials are eroding; parts are missing; inscriptions are becoming illegible. Without prompt, professional intervention, these monuments to a man whose impact was timeless will meet untimely ends.
Save Outdoor Sculpture! proposed Lincoln SOS!—Saving Abraham Lincoln’s Monumental Legacy to save significant, deteriorated Lincoln sculptures before the bicentennial of his birth. SOS! is currently working to raise funds to support this program. Once funded, it will work with the Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and the communities where outdoor sculptures are located. Program guidelines will be announced when funding is secured.
SOS! has a preliminary list of needy Abraham Lincoln sculptures; however, we are seeking current images and condition information about all public sculptures that depict Abraham Lincoln. SOS! will use this information to help solicit funds to support the program. Please send any relevant information to sos@heritagepreservation.org. Thank you to our colleagues who have already supplied information.
For more information about the ALBC, visit www.lincolnbicentennial.gov/.