CNN
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For greater than a decade, a big bronze high hat has rested subsequent to a stately statue of Abraham Lincoln sitting on a rock in Louisville, Kentucky’s Waterfront Park and, till lately, the accent had been securely bolted to the previous president’s perch.
However police are now investigating the disappearance of the hat, which was lately reported lacking, Louisville Metro Police mentioned in a press release.
The statue’s sculptor, Ed Hamilton, mentioned he first heard the hat was lacking on Saturday morning from the Waterfront Growth Company, a nonprofit that oversees the park.
A Waterfront Park spokesperson mentioned the nonprofit is “upset that this incident occurred in such a reverent area.”
In a social media publish, Hamilton mentioned somebody had stolen the hat.
“They needed to be sturdy and decided to pry bronze from a base, good grief!” the sculptor posted on Fb.
The hat, which stands about 2 ft tall and weighs as a lot as 40 kilos, was bolted to the rock in two locations, Hamilton informed CNN.
The bigger than life Lincoln sits about 8 ft tall, together with the rock he’s seated on, Hamilton mentioned. If the previous president have been to be standing, he would tower over park goers at 12 ft in top.
The hat’s disappearance got here as a shock to Hamilton who mentioned the memorial has been a “quiet” and “sacred area” since its dedication in 2009.
“It’s been a pleasant jewel down there and folks come and so they sit on him and take photos by him and sit there and meditate together with him whereas they’re there,” Hamilton mentioned.
Hamilton is well-known for his public memorials that may be seen up and down the East Coast, together with “The Unfinished March,” a sculpture that includes Martin Luther King Jr. in Virginia, and “The Spirit of Freedom,” a tribute to Black troopers and sailors who served within the Civil Battle, in Washington, DC.
He created the sculpture of Lincoln, which overlooks the Ohio River, to commemorate a visit the sixteenth president took to Kentucky within the 1840s.
“We all know he had walked the waterfront again in these days and he truly noticed riverboats going up and down the Ohio River that have been loaded with slaves,” Hamilton mentioned of his inspiration for the piece. “So, we all know that he noticed that and that was one in all his torments.”
“So what I attempted to do was to create a memorial of Abraham Lincoln – not a lot glorifying him … however I attempted to make it extra private, you see? Extra approachable as a result of he was a folks particular person,” Hamilton defined.
The sculptor mentioned he tried to create a picture of Lincoln that seems to be greeting individuals who go to the memorial. “You possibly can think about him saying, ‘Oh, hey mates, come and sit with me. Let’s speak.’”
“We’re working with the artist Ed Hamilton to revive the Memorial to its unique situation,” the Waterfront Park spokesperson mentioned. “We respect the outpouring of group curiosity and help.”
Hamilton hopes the highest hat will probably be returned. But when not, he plans to exchange it.
“After which we’ll put it on there even stronger,” he mentioned.
