Friday, September 26, 2014
Waving Girl
This blog concerns the Waving Girl statue on River Street. The statue is at ground level, and has become obscured by vegetation, so it can barely be viewed from the river. Proposals havee been made to improve its visibility, such at placing it on a pedestal or column or moving to another location. If you have any ideas, please share them.
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The Waving Girl is more than a sculpture by world renowned Felix De Weldon. She represents an appreciation for the ships that grace our port, the ships that run our economy. She encompasses the welcoming essence our city so elegantly carries. Tradition sets Savannah apart, and the city's ineptitude in terms of embracing this sculpture and the ideal it carries is disrespectful, and most importantly, worrisome. It particularly reminds me of being a young boy, lacking respect for my parents. I did not realize the sacrifices they had made to provide the wonderful life I was living. The city of Savannah officials seem to have a similar complex. They have forgotten that Sherman refrained from burning our city for a reason. They have forgotten about this women who sacrificed every day of her life for four decades to welcome the ships that built our city into a powerhouse of a port, bringing jobs, money, and everything else that we take for granted. The continued ineptitude shown in terms of being unable to embrace a fundamental aspect of Savannah's demeanor is truly a shame. Growing up in the historic society, I was surrounded by a pride for the very thing our city is neglecting. It is important that we harness and target that audience, as I believe that they will understand the imperative nature of raising the Waving Girl.
ReplyDeleteThe quote that my grandfather received from Oglethorpe Marble & Granite estimated costs around $400-700K. Savannah, and Georgia as a whole, are full of folks who see the significance in historic preservation. With the support of the Historic Savannah Foundation, The Georgia Historical Society, and the Georgia Ports Authority (makes millions annually from these ships visiting our port in which the waving girl welcomes), I believe the financial requirements could be met. The statue separates ours from all other ports across the globe, and I think the GPA will acknowledge that. However, $500,000 dollars is very expensive for a pedestal, and I believe another, less expensive design should be proposed. It seems as if there would be multiple contractors in Savannah willing to construct a concrete or brick masonry block style pedestal that places the Waving Girl in view of the river, while remaining aesthetically pleasing.
I wanted to add a few items to this blog that I feel are essential references. The first attachment is the original article proposing the raising of the statue via a pedestal, and there are multiple professional sketches which give insight in terms of a possible design:
ReplyDeletehttp://savannahnow.com/exchange/2014-08-07/putting-waving-girl-pedestal
Additionally, I would also like to include a description of Florence Martus, the woman who inspired this concern. Here's an excerpt from nps.gov:
"From the old stone pier on the north shore of Cockspur Island young Florence first saw the passing ships going with cargoes to the farthest corners of the globe. The small child was fascinated by these ships and waved her handkerchief as they passed by. Sailors on the ships often waved back.
A few years later Florence went to live with her brother, a light keeper, in a small cottage close by the riverbank, about five miles up river from Fort Pulaski. From this time on she waved at every ship that passed—a table cloth or towel by day, a lantern by night. For more than 44 years she never missed a ship, and each ship, as it passed, returned her salute with three blasts of the whistle." -Georgia Historical Society
As I previously stated, she exists as the ideal representation of the attitude Savannah has embraced in the past, and must be dedicated to continue to embrace. In order to do that, it's imperative that we respect this woman's legacy through allowing her to continue to welcome the rest of the world to our home, Savannah. It's this tradition, this hospitality, this appreciation, that makes our home so desirable. So we are just going to neglect the very thing that made us who were are? Let me know how that works out for you.... It may not be felt immediately, however, such a trend has potential to strip Savannah of its historic elegance, or at least keep it out of view.
Shakespeare once said that the only way to make something last an eternity is to write it down- or something along those lines. Although the man may die, the love letter he wrote a woman will last her an eternity. Although Florence Martus passed, her monument will allow her to live on. In 1972, we made this decision to preserve this woman's grace. In the meantime, we have allowed the vegetation to swallow her, and with that, her legacy slowly withers away.
Let's raise the Waving Girl so that her legend can live on!
Also, I spoke with Ashley Moore, a realtor in Atlanta, GA, who grew up in Savannah. She and I came up with another option, which involves moving the trees which currently obstruct one's ability to view the Waving Girl. There seems to be plenty of space on the river walk to relocate these trees, and in place, we could provide smaller vegetation, including shrubbery and flowers which would really make for a beautiful sight for the ships and other visitors. I can see it now: A big ship rolling into Savannah from Indonesia as the sun sets. The beautiful historic timeline sticks out to the sailors, however, focus remains on the Waving Girl, a legend told by their fathers, and their father's fathers. The wind slowly purrs out of the east, and there she is, in perfect view, surrounded by an array of beautiful flowers, glowing in the falling sun, emitting a warm welcoming, waving her cloth as she always had.
ReplyDeleteThat leaves 3 ideas so far- including the original pedestal, a simplified pedestal version, as well as a tree relocation. I think we are off to a great start- we seem to have a solid array of options evenly distributed across the financial cost spectrum.
Personally, I am a fan of the raised pedestal that is sketched on the savannah now link in the post above. However, it is the most expensive option and there are many questions that have to be asked involving funding, tax payer dollars, aesthetic requirements/opinions, etc.