Updates – So long, Liberty: Alki statue is gone, for now

(see the bottom of this post for newest pix/info)

The crane’s in place and will soon be lifting the Alki Statue of Liberty off its old base – never to return to that one – since a new pedestal is part of the plaza project for which construction started this morning. More to come.

10:12 AM UPDATE: Lady Liberty has been removed from the pedestal and is en route to temporary storage (till sometime before the planned Sept. 6 dedication); Paul and Libby Carr of the Statue of Liberty Plaza Project have been here watching the milestone unfold on a spectacular sunny morning. They note that the benches and plaques being removed – three in all – as part of the demolition/construction work are all being replaced; two of the families, they say, chose to have benches in the new plaza, another asked to have a bench/plaque elsewhere on the beach. Now that the statue’s gone, the fencing is completely closed, and jackhammering has resumed (it’s pretty noisy down here right now). 10:34 AM UPDATE: Now the demolition of the old base is under way.

Two pieces of heavy equipment are at work on the site now, tearing up the blacktop within the fenced area as well (as mentioned elsewhere, the promenade along the water is NOT blocked, though it’s a little narrower now at the plaza-construction site) 11:05 AM UPDATE: Jacqueline Tabor of the Parks Department is putting up historic photos on the fence around the construction site – not just of the statue’s past, but also Alki from as long as a century ago. They’re going up today along with an informational sign about the project.

Jo July 8, 2008 (11:00 am)

What a sad day to see the old pedestal go like that.
Jo Ofsthus

Pleasse.... July 8, 2008 (11:24 am)

The old pedestal was the cause of all the vandalism over the years!
That is why it was so easy (relatively) to raise mostly PRIVATE funds to improve the design of the pedestal amongst other changes.

Kathy July 8, 2008 (12:02 pm)

I guess this is all good progress, but my first reaction is why does this have to happen during the peak of our best season – when people are enjoying Alki and all it has to offer????

JanS July 8, 2008 (12:44 pm)

Kathy, I understand..but the work they’re doing probably can’t be done in the winter….and it’s just a little piece of property…you can still walk on the sidewalk, and you can still walk along the seawall.