Frederick Douglass statues in Rochester to be repaired, moved indoors

Ten statues of famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass on display in Rochester will soon be restored and relocated.

The city purchased 10 of the 13 statues created by local sculptor Olivia Kim and placed around Rochester in 2018, in remembrance of Douglass' 200th birthday.

Each statue will be removed to be repaired and restored before the statues are relocated to indoor locations throughout the community. Kim will repair the epoxy resin creations, which reflect wear from time on display outdoors for nearly five years, two years longer than initially planned.

“Frederick Douglass is integral to the fabric of Rochester and these statues have become beloved landmarks in our community beyond the moment in time they were designed to celebrate,” Rochester Mayor Malik Evans said in a news release. “We look forward to returning these statues to their original grandeur so that they can continue to inspire and educate.”

The 2018 project was overseen by the Re-Energizing the Legacy of Frederick Douglass Committee.

Douglass, who escaped slavery in Maryland in 1838 and settled in Rochester for about 30 years, is buried at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Rochester.

After his death, he became the first Black person in the United States be memorialized with a statue. That monument now resides at Frederick Douglass Memorial Plaza at Highland Park in the city. Another sculpture, "Let's Have Tea," portrays Douglass with friend and women's rights activist Susan B. Anthony in Rochester's Susan B. Anthony Square.

Since the 13 newest statues of Douglass were installed in 2018, several were vandalized and later repaired and reinstalled.

City spokeswoman Barbara Pierce said that the 10 statues will be removed in the next two weeks and moved to a temporary storage area.

It is not yet known how long the repairs will take, but once the statues are restored they will be moved to indoor public buildings including City Hall, the Central Library building downtown and the historic Aqueduct Building, where they will be protected from the elements. Pierce said city officials are still working to determine where all of the restored statues will be displayed.

The three Douglass statues not purchased by the city are in the care of Rochester Community Television (RCTV), Rochester Educational Opportunity Center and the University of Rochester. A fourteenth statue was privately commissioned and remains in private ownership.