Ramsey County History – Spring 2013: “A Monument to Freedom, a Monument to All: Restoring the Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller Memorial in Como Park”

A Monument to Freedom, a Monument to All: Restoring the Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller Memorial in Como Park
Author: Colin Nelson-Dusek

Beginning in 1907, a bronze sculpture of Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller has reigned over the Gateway to Como Park. Despite its long and ubiquitous presence, little in the way of historical information has been revealed about this creation of German artist Ignatius Taschner, and, until recently, even less had been carried out in the way of preservation of the statue after over a century of being exposed to the elements. Nelson-Dusek’s account shows how all of this changed in late 2012, with an initiative from the Saint Paul Parks and Recreation Department to restore this historically significant work of art. A local nonprofit, Public Art Saint Paul, raised all the money necessary for the restoration and oversaw its completion and the rededication in 2013.
PDF of Nelson-Dusek article