Update: Statue of Liberty Plaza brick woes

We told you last night about the problem that’s materialized on some of the inscribed bricks at the new Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza. Click ahead to read the update from David Hutchinson (who also provided the closeup photo above) on behalf of the Plaza Project Committee:

A meeting was held at the plaza this morning on the issue of the legibility of a small number of the inscribed pavers. Present were representatives from Kenadar, the brick engraving company, Patrick Donohue from Seattle Parks & Recreation, Matt Hutchins from CAST Architecture, and Libby Carr, co-chair of the Seattle Statue of Liberty Plaza Project. After an examination of the affected pavers, it was decided that the probable cause of the problem is mineral deposits coming to the surface of the pavers in a chemical reaction involving moisture, the concrete, and the sand.

Seattle Parks & Recreation will be investigating further to determine the best way to neutralize this process and will clean the pavers as soon as possible. Kenadar provided useful information on the maintenance of the bricks and made a commitment to replace any that have issues so the quality throughout the whole plaza is uniform.

We would like to thank all those involved for the timely way in which this problem has been addressed and we want to assure all donors that steps are being taken to correct this situation.

Seattle Parks & Recreation will be posting a sign at the plaza that will provide information on how to purchase bricks in what will be our last and final Brick Sale. Again, please go to www.sealady.org and see our updated website, complete with pictures from the Sept. 6th celebration. You can also download a form for purchasing a new brick from the website.

Also, for those who were interested in seeing the Ken Burns documentary “The Statue of Liberty,” the Log House Museum will be hosting showings of the film at 1:00 PM & 3:00 PM on Saturday, October 11, and at 2:00 PM on Sunday, October 12. The museum is located on the corner of SW 61st and Stevens SW in the Alki area. Admission is free.

Seattle Statue of Liberty Plaza Project

Michael October 3, 2008 (12:50 am)

Is the Seattle Parks Dept. using taxpayer money for its role in all of this?

Libby Carr October 3, 2008 (3:29 am)

Hi Michael – I’m not sure what you mean by your question by “all of this.” But the taxpayers of Seattle do pay the salaries and for the operations of the Parks Dept. as they do for all of City government. So, Patrick Donohue’s time that he’ll be spending to find a solution to this brick problem would fall within his normal job description, and therefore, yes, would be paid for by taxpayer dollars. The costs incurred to fix it remains to be seen after the cause has been determined. Stay tuned. LC

GP October 3, 2008 (9:44 am)

Its a Brick… Have people never seen bricks before? It happens all the time, the minerals leech out and get crusty on the surface. If only there was something to wash the bricks every day, like water falling from the sky. I think it will be okay after they settle, I can’t believe the names are that illegible that we need to hold committies etc…