Marquis de Lafayette statue returns to York
Photo by Paul Kuehnel, York Daily Record/Sunday News
General Marquis de Lafayette statue is back on West Market Street on Monday May 4, 2015, after repair to the base.
(York) — Marquis de Lafayette was returned to his West Market Street post in York Monday morning after work was done on the 800-pound statue’s formerly bronze base.
The base was replaced with stainless steel, which York City Department of Public Works Director Jim Gross said should last pretty long. It had been jostled loose, possibly from people leaning on the 6-foot-6-inch statue over time, Gross said previously.
It took three public works employees about two hours to put the statue back in front of the Gates House and Golden Plough Tavern, in the 100 block of West Market Street.
The Lafayette statue was removed in February to make repairs to it for the first time, Gross said.
While the work did not take very long, the city’s public works employees had to wait for warmer temperatures to install the statue. Epoxy used to adhere the statue to the ground does not work well in colder temperatures, officials said.
The statue of Lafayette, an influential Revolutionary War-era French nobleman, was put in place in 2007.
The Gates House is the site of the gathering when historians believe Lafayette toasted George Washington early in 1778. Lafayette’s toast foiled the plot to replace Washington as commander of the Continental Army.
Contact Mark Walters at 717-771-2032.
General Marquis de Lafayette statue is back on West Market Street on Monday May 4, 2015 after repair to the base. Paul Kuehnel – Daily Record/Sunday News
This content comes to us through a partnership between York Daily Record and WITF.
A collection of interviews, photos, and music videos, featuring local musicians who have stopped by the WITF performance studio to share a little discussion and sound. Produced by WITF’s Joe Ulrich.
