Jackson Park’s ‘Golden Lady’ Statue To Be Regilded For First Time Since The ’90s

WOODLAWN — The “Golden Lady” of Jackson Park will be regilded for the first time in decades as part of an agreement that cleared a path for the Obama Presidential Center’s construction nearby.

The Statue of the Republic — a 24-foot, gilded bronze statue built in 1918 to honor the 25th anniversary of the World’s Columbian Exposition in Jackson Park and Illinois’ centennial — is set to be stripped, cleaned, repaired and refreshed with new gold leaf.

Scaffolding was completed last week, while the restoration will begin with stripping of the old gilding, as weather permits. That will be followed by removal of the existing gold leaf, a laser cleaning and repairs on the entire sculpture, Park District spokesperson Irene Tostado said.

The first phase will take between two to three months and cost $1 million, Tostado said. An epoxy primer, a gold base layer, a gold polymer base and an adhesive will be added before thick gold leaf is applied by hand, she said.

Planning commissioner Ciere Boatright told federal officials in October that the restoration was set for completion in mid-2027, but that is no longer accurate, Tostado said. She did not provide a new estimate.

The Statue of the Republic, located at Hayes and Richards drives just west of Jackson Park’s Inner Harbor, is a modified replica of its 65-foot predecessor that was displayed at the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893.

A fire destroyed the original, which was nicknamed “Big Mary,” shortly after the World’s Fair ended. The existing statue was last regilded in 1992 and rededicated for the exposition’s centennial, according to the Park District.

The ongoing restoration is one of the requirements placed on the Park District and Chicago Department of Transportation under a 2020 agreement to finalize a federal review related to the Obama Presidential Center.

That Section 106 review process, which began in 2017, found the Obama Center’s construction would affect the historic nature of Jackson Park and the Midway Plaisance.

In response to that finding, the agreement required the statue’s restoration among other actions, including:

• The rehabilitation of the English Comfort Station near the Museum of Science and Industry. Parks officials did not share updates on that project’s progress as of publication.
• A review of plans to build a new play area on the Midway Plaisance, which opened last month.
• A plan to create interpretive materials or programs around “the cultural and natural historical contributions of Jackson Park and its use by South Side residents.”
• A review of plans to replace trees lost to the Obama Center’s construction.

The agreement was originally set to expire in December 2025, but that will not affect progress on the statue, comfort station and remaining requirements, Tostado said.