must be accurate

I cannot express my happiness and joy to read in last week's Herald (April 19) that significant progress has been made in recasting and displaying our own Statue of Liberty - "Lady Liberty" - in Alki. I was suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune [aka pneumonia] when the April 6th public meeting at the Bathhouse reviewed our Lady's design schemes and plaza so was unable to contribute to the discussion. I hope that my comments here will be considered, not only by the Alki and West Seattle community but by the design team at Northwest Programs for the Arts as well.

Reviewing the design scheme at http://www.northwestarts.org/spa.htm I saw some great artist's interpretations of what could be done with Lady Liberty. Given the penchant for disinterested souls to libel our Lady, the designs made some sense.

However, I was disappointed to see that Northwest Arts designs were only artist's interpretations and not designs that would be either historically representational or evocative of the immigrant experience in coming to the "Promise Land," the "Land of Milk and Honey." America means many things to those of us already here, but for those "... tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free....", the Statue means more than can be imagined. More than 12 million immigrants entering the United States between 1892 and 1954 have looked to Lady Liberty for freedom and prosperity. To gaze upon her means something that native-born Americans can never comprehend. Trust me. I grew up listening to my grandparents, uncles and aunts talk about their first view of the Lady.

An accurate and historical representation of Alki's Lady Liberty is just as important as the actual Lady in New York Harbor. And that is why I'm so disappointed by the two designs promoted by Northwest Arts. Though both are beautiful designs, neither even closely approximates what the Statue of Liberty means to history and those millions who came to the United States in hopes of a better life. Not to mention those visitors today and in the past who have traveled exclusively to New York in order to view Lady Liberty.

The original design built by the Boy Scouts of America in the 1950s perfectly captured Lady Liberty in her historical and emotional context. For openers, she stands, facing in the direction of the water - where every boat and every person entering the harbor will see her. To turn her to face to the land would be an insult, not only to the spirit of the Lady, but to all those who would come to America in hopes for a better life. To see her backside when entering the harbor would send a terrible signal. What host shows their back to their visitors and friends?

In the interest of history it is important to know how Alki's Lady reflects New York's Lady. The Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor stands upon a pedestal built on top of an early 19th century "star" fortress. Back in the days when our country's harbors were defended from invasion, brick and mortar fortresses were constructed in the shape of a multi-point star. There was a star fortress in New York Harbor and that is where the Statue of Liberty was installed in June of 1884. Look here to see how our Lady made use of such a fortress. http://www.french-at-a touch.com/Statue_of_Liberty/statue_of_liberty_pictures.jpg. The last such fortification was built in the 1860s at Fort Point in San Francisco Harbor. The Confederate shelling of Fort Sumter in Charleston showed the futility of such constructions.

Now, look at Alki's Lady Liberty to see how the Boy Scouts in the 1950s tried to replicate the original. With imagination, a limited budget and the creative use of concrete they did a marvelous job of replicating Lady Liberty and Liberty Island. They did a wonderful job of building a great artist's interpretation of Lady Liberty's pedestal and the angular base is a great artist's interpretation of the original star fortress beneath the statue.

I appreciate the work that Northwest Programs for the Arts is doing to re-cast Alki's Lady Liberty. What wonderful people they are. But their two concepts simply are not in the spirit of the original - the original in New York and the original in Alki. For the tens of thousands of people who visit Alki from all over the world who have seen Lady Liberty and the many more who first saw her when entering the United States, the two proposed designs will be an immense disappointment. While the statue will be there, the rest of Lady Liberty will not.

I understand the reasons for the design used by Northwest Programs for the Arts. But if either of their proposed designs are used, Seattle will be portrayed forever as the "City of Rubes." We will be seen by the world as a backwater town that is so unaware of our own country's history that we defiled the symbol of our greatness to the whim of an artist's design. That would be a sad day indeed.

Any design for a pedestal and plaza around Alki's Lady Liberty must be constructed to be reflective and historically accurate of the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor - and, by extension, Alki's Statue of Liberty. To do otherwise would be to dishonor our country's heritage. Therefore I believe it is imperative that the community support a design for Lady Liberty's pedestal and base that reflects the original in New York Harbor, just as our own Lady did in the 1950s.

If this argument makes sense to you, please let your feelings and thoughts be known to the wonderful artists working on this important project at Northwest Programs for the Arts. Theirs is a noble mission and they should be helped and supported. They can be contacted at:

Northwest Programs for the Arts

1319 Dexter Avenue North, Suite 190

Seattle, WA 98109

(206) 632-4545

http://www.northwestarts.org/spa.htm

Peter Stekel

Alki