Rochester is bringing back several statues of Frederick Douglass. Ten of the statues, created in 2018 by sculptor Olivia Kim, were acquired by the city last year.
Weather damage and general wear to the fiberglass statues was repaired, and Mayor Malik Evans said on Wednesday that most of them will be placed at indoor locations.
But the one exception is in Aqueduct Park on East Main Street, near the Convention Center, which is where the mayor made the announcement.
That statue is just a short distance away from the Talman Building, which once housed Frederick Douglass’s newspaper, The North Star.
“This is a historic location. It is nearby the Tallman building, which is where the North Star press was located,” said Kim. “So I'm just glad that the public can see Frederick Douglass any time of and any season and feel like he's still he's with us no matter what.”
Peter Landers, a developer whose company owns property where the outdoor Douglass statue is located, said he and his company will help maintain that statue.
“Frederick Douglass is a symbol of building community, and the statue evokes that,” said Landers.
Mayor Evans said the placement of the statues around the city is an important symbolic move.
“Now we begin the process of returning them to public display so that they can inspire the community for many years to come,” said Evans. “In this effort, most of the statues will be placed in indoor locations where they can maintain their regal stature, safe from the elements.”
Two other statues are currently inside the Central Library in Rochester and the Loretta C. Scott Center for Human Services on St. Paul Street. The 7 remaining statues are in the final stages of being repaired. One of them will be placed in City Hall.
