Baldwin statue approved

The Arcadia City Council unanimously approved a nine-foot bronze statue of Arcadia founder Lucky Baldwin to be built and placed this summer in the Monsignor Gerald M. O’Keeffe Rose Garden at the point of the land on the west end of the Community Center parking lot between Campus and Huntington Drives.

Digital simulation of what the Lucky Baldwin statue might look like in Rose Garden. Statue shown is of Matthias William Baldwin in front of Philadelphia City Hall. The pedestal shown is much higher than one anticipated for Lucky Baldwin statue.

The statue, with an estimated cost of nearly $60,000, has been proposed and will be paid for by Margaux Viera, the great-great-great granddaughter of Baldwin. She has selected Southern California sculptor Alfred Paredes.

The City has agreed to cover up to $25,000 for the cost of building a pedestal for the statue and installing lighting and landscaping around it. The $25,000 would not come from taxpayer General Funds but a trust provided by Westfield Santa Anita in 2005 (as part of the approval process for the expansion to the mall) to be used specifically for public art.

— By Scott Hettrick