October 12, 1954 – The Amalgamated Meat Cutters
unveil a sculpture by Egon Weiner, a member of the Art Institute faculty, at
the brand new union headquarters at 2900 Sheridan Road. The sculpture depicts four kneeling figures,
two male and two female, representing the people of Africa, Asia, Europe and
the Americas. Weiner says that the piece
is inspired by Schiler’s “Ode to Joy … the theme of which is that the peoples
of the world should seek brotherhood.” [Chicago
Daily Tribune, October 12, 1954]
October 12, 1889 – On a cold and windy day 1,500 Chicagoans show up for the unveiling of the statue of Robert Davalier de la Salle in Lincoln Park. The ceremony begins with the reading of a letter from Judge Lambert Tree, the man who commissioned the statue. In the letter the Judge writes, “In studying the early history of the country, the services and character of La Salle have inspired me with the highest admiration, which I am sure is equally shared by all others who have read the story of his achievements. He unquestionably discovered the Ohio and Illinois rivers, and whatever may be the weight of evidence as to the real discoverer of the Mississippi I think it is beyond controversy that he was the first white man who ever descended the river to its mouth.” The Chicago Daily Tribune observes, “The statue is admirably located on high ground at the meeting of three roads . . . The memorial will always be highly valuable, an incentive to patriotism and a spur to grateful remembrance.” [Chicago Daily Tribune, October 13, 1889] The statue still stands at the junction of those three roads today, north of the Chicago History Museum at the junction of La Salle Street, Clark Street, and North Avenue. For additional information on the statue and on Judge Lambert Tree you can click here.
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