He's been painted, swathed in toilet paper, hosed down and even adorned with a Port-a-potty, but if a Montana Tech professor has his way, Marcus Daly could be restored to his former glory by spring.
Bill MacGregor and two of his professional and technical communications classes are working to restore the bronze and granite Marcus Daly statue at the college's entrance. One group of students will write a grant pro posal for the estimated $15,000 needed to restore the statue's finish. Another group will write a manual to ensure the statue is properly maintained.
“ All told, it's not a huge cost to bring it back (to proper condition),” MacGregor said. “ And when you see some of the other examples of outdoor statuary that have been rescued and restored, it's worth it.”
The 94-year-old statue was examined by Jonathon Taggart for Save Outdoor Sculpture this summer. SOS is a national program and a joint project of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American Art and the National Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Property. Taggart listed the statue at the top of his list for needing repairs. If the SOS grant is awarded, the work could begin this spring.
Restoration would include a through cleaning. Then a new finish, or patina, would be applied using crushed walnut shells among other items to bring back the true bronze color without scratching or marring the metal's surface. Once the finish is restored, a protective coat will be applied, according to Taggart's report.
The statue is important for its Butte and Montana historical value. And because it was the last sculpture completed by renowned artist Augustus St. Gaudens before his 1907 death. St. Gaudens' statues are common along the East Coast, but are rare in the West, making the statue and its preservation even more important, MacGregor said.
The statue was made in the early 1900s with money raised by Butte citizens to honor Daly and his contributions to Butte and mining in Montana. It was dedicated on Sept. 7, 1907, but at that point the statue was on Main Street in front of the Federal Building. The statue was moved to the Tech entrance on Park Street in 1941.
Since then, many earnest and humorous upkeep efforts have been performed on the statue.
From the Montana Standard