MUSKEGON, Mich. — The City of Muskegon is now seeking proposals for conservation work on seven of the city’s historic monuments that have been a part of Muskegon’s history for over a century. The work will help to preserve the rich piece of history so that they’ll last for the next 100-plus years.
To residents and tourists, the statues aren’t just statues - they’re monuments to some of the people who shaped the city that nearly 40,000 people call home.
“All of these sculptures are centerpieces of the community. They’re irreplaceable, they're unique to Muskegon, and they're iconic,” Jamie Pesch, city planner III with Muskegon said.
These historic monuments are a tribute to the people who have helped hold the city of Muskegon together for more than 120 years. The bronze and granite works, now weathered by the elements, have stood the test of time but are showing their age. That’s why the city plans to preserve them, proving that age is just a number.
“The work is not repairing work necessarily, the monuments aren’t in bad condition, they're actually in fairly good condition overall so it's conservation work,” Pesch said. "That's planning for the coming years, little issues of small damage will be repaired now, and that will prevent headaches down the road.”
Work on the statues was last performed more than 30 years ago and the city is now requesting bids for the project, but it won’t come cheap. A professional conservator estimates work on seven statues will cost nearly $80,000 dollars, but a grant from the State Historic Preservation Office covers $55,000 dollars.
“I think with sculpture, it's public art. It's one of the earlier forms of public art and their art pieces,” Pesch said. "Anytime that you can put that in a public place and people can experience it, it's open to everybody and they can see that it's very visible. People just react to the modern art.”
The city’s investment in these seven statues will make sure they’re preserved for generations to come.
The city is accepting proposals until the end of the month on April 30 and hopes to complete the preservation work by the end of June. For more questions about the project, you can visit their website.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Watch 13 ON YOUR SIDE for free on Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV and on your phone.