Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-02-28
STEVENS MEMORIAL.
TO BE ERECTED on THE PLAZA
OF SACRAMENTO CITY.
The Design of A. w. Weinert. of San
Francisco. Accepted-To be Err
ected Within Six Months.

meeting of the Executive and Advisor,
Committees and the Financial Board of the A
]. stevens Statue Association was held las
evening in the Odd Fellows Temple. The roll
was called and sixteen of the Executive Com
mittee, seven of the Financial Board and six o
the Advisory Committee, twentyrine in all
answered to their names. VIM. q. Mills Gov
ernor Waterman and Messrs. Hill, Grow ant
Bonte sent in letters and kilograms of their in
ability to attend.
The meeting was called to order by E. B
Hussey, who was afterwards unanimously
chosen to preside during the evening.
J The Chair stated that the meeting was com
posed of three committees, and its only OBJ
ject was the selection of a model OF design an6
the awarding of g contract toa sculptor. He
said there had been SO much said about the
models presented that there was a question o.
deiicacy and all felt embarrassed SO Tar as max
ing criticisms in the presence of the competit
ors. He suggested that the sculptOrs present
should have an opportunity to address the
Board, explain their work and then the com
mittee could go into executive session, discus.
the merits of the different designs and award
the contracts.
1t was so ordered, and Frederick Flohr one
of the competing sculptors, explained his
model. He said il was a rough sketch, simply
TO give the committee an idea of what he pro-
posed to do. IL was understood that if he was
l
be made satisfactory to the committee so far as
the portrait was concerned when it was mod
eled in clay. The pedestal OF granite is 1877
feet i'll height, the bronze statue nine feet and
height. He said he was requested 10 make his
model on scale OF y inches to the foot and
he had done so.
Mr.. Stewart, member of the Executive Com
mittee, spoke for the sculptor, F. Marion Wells,
and called attention to his model on exhibi-
ton. He stated that Mr.. Wells had made no
attempt 10 make portrait of Mr.. Stevens on
the small design. 1t was rough sketch, in
tended only to show brief outline of what
would be erected Mr.. Wells had a national
reputation as sculptor had just completed the
Marshall monument, and proposed, If the con-
tract was awarded to him, that he would erect
a studio in this city where the statue would be
modelled in clay, where all the workmen in the
shops who contribute their mites toward its
construction would have daily opportunity of
scrutinizing the work and passing upon its
merits. He also proposed to have all the gran
lite work done in this city.
Mr.. HuSsey said he had received letter from
Mr.. Wells making similar statement All the
work would be done in this city.
Mr. Wells statue while as large as that of Mr.
Flohr's, would not stand quite as high, from the
fact that the pedestal was lower.
A. w. Weinert was next called upon. He said
he had but very little to say. The sketch spoke
for itself, and his specifications were full COM
prehensive and explicit He thought the artists
of California the equals of those in the East,
and for this work they really had no Eastern
competitor. The invitation called for orig
NAL designs, both as to statue and
that the committee would accept anything
from mortuary photograph albums They GER
tainly desired something original, something
representative of the man, something of high
art something thai would withstand artistic
criticism for centuries to come. He tried to
illustrate in the pedestal something of the in
ventive mind and genius OF the man to whom
they sought to do honor. Something of his
kindheartedness, of his broad benevoence of
his love for the laboring classes. One of his
quotations was: THE laborer is deserv-
ing of his hire" On another panel
No. AS. These panels would be of bronze, with
raised letters. In the statue would be repre-
scented the Master Mechanic in one of his
thoughtful, inventive moods natural, true 10
life, and the face full of expression, as perfect
as life could be represented in bronze. The
granite should be that of California quarries
and the statue cast in bronze IN San Francisco.
He thought Mr.. Wells suggestion of doing
the work in Sacramento a good one,
and he also would agree to that.
When the monument was modelled in clay he
would want the committee, friends and rela-
tives to inspect it and give him the benefit OF
their suggestions SO that reality could be OBJ
tanned nearly as possible. His idea of a
monument was not SO much in detail, but some
thing original and artistic made of California
material by California workmen, and would
stand the criticism OF artisans for centuries
He was surprised that at the last meet
lug the CDmuultttt euOu1Q 50 uuHQlmOuSly
favor Chicago design The comparisons
were unfair as they were unjust. He then
exhibited quite large bust OF A. ]. Stevens
which he had prepared and modelled from clay
i'll one day outside of studio and with no tools
to speak Of 1t was quite life-like, all had ad-
mitted, and showed what California sculptors
could do when not confined to an inch and a
half scale. Perhaps the man had worked for
several weeks on the large model that had been
photographed, while his was the work of only
several hours. The pedestal of his monument
was IA feet in hight the statute feet making
- feet IN all. He would use whatever granite
the committee desired In his opinion he
thought Fresno granite would look best, but
Penryn was just as good.
G. H. Jones' who has no model, but exhibits a
photograph OF model made in Chicago, was
the next to address the meeting. He said he
was little embarrassed because he had no
pedestal to show with his photographed de-
monuments from nearly every graveyard from
Maine to California, and told the committee
they could make their own selection of pedes-
tai. He had written and telegraphed his firm,
pedestal but had so far received no reply, but
was sure it would be along in a
few days. The statue. would be made
in Chicago by a sculptor named Taft,
and the pedestal made in the East either of Oak
Hill or Quincy granite. He did not think much
of California granite or California work, and
had lately come from the East for stockton.
Oakland and other places, and said he would
like to see some good mortusry work come TO
Sacramento. The statue he proposed would be
of copper bronze, ~ feet high. and resting
upon pedestal II feet high. making the struct-
ure 2i1a feet high. Mr. Taft was the SCULPTOR
who modelled the bronze statue OF Colfax at
| Indianapolis, which was pronounced By all
| who had seen il TO be a work of art lie can
| model true to life. We don't want to be ruled
! out simply because we are an Eastern firm. II
You must have the pedestal of California gran
| lite, then We viii give you proposition Tor the
Los Angeles material. don't want to say any
| thing against California, but you can't do az
| good work here as we can in the East.
EXECUTIVE SESSION.
| In the executive session. it was soon noticed
| that large majority were in favor of A. W
| Weineu's model and it was accepted by vote
| of 2S to5.
| A committee, consisting of Z. B. Hussey, Z. NJ
| Luckett, G. A. Stoddard, William Boyne, Henri,
| Fisher, A. J. Vermilyea and w. C. Fitch, wa
| appointed to confer with the sculptor, and ar
| ralge for such changes as the Executive Com
| mittee may suggest. MIR. Weinert says he car
have the monument completed insice of 81,
months.