Lowry Burgess, Donald Burgy, John Cataldo, Carlos Dorrien, Robert Guillemin, David Phillips, Sydney Roberts Rockefeller, William H. Wainwright, Clara Wainwright
Bronze on granite base
Post Office Sq. Park, at Congress St. and Milk St.
Become a part of Boston history!
In 1987, the Boston Art Commission initiated a historic campaign to restore and maintain valuable monuments that convey the rich heritage of both the city of Boston and the nation. To date, this unique public/private partnership has raised restoration funds and permanent maintenance endowments for treasured works of public art throughout the city. In launching Adopt-A-Statue, Boston became the first city in the United States to undertake an outdoor art maintenance program of this scale.
The Boston Art Commission invites individuals, groups of individuals, or corporations to contribute to our ongoing conservation efforts by either ‘adopting’ a particular piece of art (by incurring the total cost of restoring and maintaining the work) or by making a donation of any size to our general maintenance fund. Adopt-A-Statue funds are held in trust by The Boston Foundation, and donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.
This bronze statue on the Commonwealth Mall was created by the Boston sculptor Anne Whitney and erected in 1887 to commemorate the Norse explorer believed to be the first European to set foot on North America. A century later, Leif Eriksson was adopted by the Norsemen Memorial Committee, whose donation set up a maintenance endowment to provide for cleaning and treatment of the work in perpetuity. In the summer of 2007, the statue received specialized treatment that targeted patches of green copper corrosion which covered its surface and threatened allover pitting, or small corrosive holes, and other such structural deterioration. The statue was thoroughly washed and rinsed, then carefully spot-treated in areas with the green corrosive damage. Finally, the entire piece received multiple coats of Incralac acrylic coating (which absorbs ultra-violet light), followed by an overall waxing and buffing.
To contribute to efforts like the restoration of Leif Eriksson by adopting a work of public art, please contact Karin Goodfellow at the Boston Art Commission.
The Boston Art Commission wishes to thank the supporters of Adopt-A-Statue, for their generous partnership in our commitment to preserving public art throughout the City of Boston: