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Logan Square's Iconic Eagle Monument Needs $80,000 in Rehab Work

By Darryl Holliday | September 17, 2014 8:49am
 The Eagle, as it's known to locals, needs serious repair after unprecedented theft and vandalism.
Logan Square Repair
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LOGAN SQUARE —The Eagle, a “neighborhood jewel,” is in need of repair, according to one longtime alderman and Logan Square's preservation group.

Also known as the Illinois Centennial Monument, the Eagle located at the center of Logan Square proper needs maintenance work to the tune of around $80,000, according to Andrew Schneider, Logan Square Preservation president.

About $35,000 of that total cost has already been locked in from the monument’s caretaking organization, the Benjamin Ferguson Fund, and 32nd Ward Ald. Scott Waguespack’s office. But, according to Schneider, the repair of several stolen and rundown parts of the monument will require at least $40,000 more.

“The monument has such a presence in the psyche of Logan Square,” Schneider said.  “In addition to being large it looms large and, as a consequence, everyone feels close to it even though they’re far away. But it’s time for some loving care.”

The 70-foot stone monument requires routine maintenance but a good deal of the damage is due to looters, according to Schneider and Ald. Rey Colon (35th).

“We’ve seen more vandalism than ever before,” Colon said of the neighborhood’s “center jewel” — vandalism that ranges from graffiti on the monument’s base and the smashing of its carved stonework to the theft of cast iron bolts securing surrounding benches to the ground.

“It’s damage to our historical core,” Colon added, referencing the nearly 100-year-old commemoration to Illinois’ statehood, which is topped with an eagle in reference to the state flag and engraved with Native Americans, Illinois farmers and industrial laborers to represent rapid change during the state's first 100 years.

The list of fixes set for The Eagle includes a repair of the monument's base, waxing the bronze light fixtures around it, redoing its stepping stone pavers and securing the bordering benches.

Both local alderman have backed the repair project, according to Schneider — Waguespack went so far as to spend a portion of Monday bolting benches to the ground by hand after finding them loose and vandalized.

Work is expected to begin on the monument in October, according to Colon, but complete repairs are pending consultation with the Chicago Department of Transportation and the remaining funds for the project.

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