Statue of John McLaren

A statue of horticulturist John McLaren is installed in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, in the U.S. state of California.

Statue of John McLaren
The statue in 2015
SubjectJohn McLaren
LocationSan Francisco, California, U.S.
Coordinates37.77208°N 122.46472°W / 37.77208; -122.46472

Background

In 1911 Alma de Bretteville Spreckels and her husband Adolph B. Spreckels, park commissioner and namesake of Spreckels Lake, wanted M. Earl Cummings to capture McLaren's likeness. The San Francisco Examiner reported in 1911 that McLaren had modeled for Cummings, and the statue was to be shown at a Bohemian Club art exhibition (Carvala). The Examiner also reported In 1921 the Examiner reported, park commissioners wanted the statue erected in Golden Gate Park “soon.” But in 1922 according to The Oakland Tribune, McLaren hid it in a box in the park stables as " McLaren did not want to see it " (Carvala, Peterson).

It was found after McLaren's death and erected in John McLaren Memorial Rhododendron Dell in 1945. It is a bronze 5'7 likeness (Carvala). It does not sit on a pedestal and has no identification, as Cummings thought everybody would know who McLaren was. Over time the statue has turned green, so it is unassuming and blends into its surroundings. In one hand he is holding a pinecone. Saw marks are on McLaren's right leg from an attempt to steal the statue on December 17, 1953. Two attempts were made, the first of which the thieves tried to “crowbar the statue off its base. Three days later on what would have been McLaren's birthday a hack saw was used to try to cut the statue down. (San Francisco Chronicle).

References

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    1. Brinklow, Adam. "150 Things You Didn't Know about Golden Gate Park for its 150th Anniversary." Curbed San Francisco. 30 Apr 2020. WEB. Accessed on: April 11, 2021.https://sf.curbed.com/2020/4/3/21201767/golden-gate-park-150-things-anniversary-birthday
    2. Carvala, Kinen. "'Looking Back': John McLaren." Richmond Review/Sunset Beacon. 5 Dec. 2020. WEB. Accessed on: April 10, 2021. https://sfrichmondreview.com/2020/12/05/looking-back-john-mclaren/
    3. Chamings, Andrew. "San Francisco's Official Christmas Tree Isn't Where You Think It Is." SFGATE. 8 Dec. 2020. WEB. Accessed on: April 10, 2021. https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/San-Francisco-official-Christmas-tree-lights-park-15776426.php
    4. "John McLaren: The Man Who Planted Two Million Trees." KALW. 25 Sept. 2019. WEB. Accessed on: April 10, 2021. https://www.kalw.org/show/crosscurrents/2019-09-25/john-mclaren-the-man-who-planted-two-million-trees
    5. Mojadad, Ida. "A Brief History of Golden Gate Park Memorials." SFWEEKLY. 27 Sept. 2017. WEB. Accessed on: April 10, 2021. https://www.sfweekly.com/news/suckafreecity/a-brief-history-of-golden-gate-park-memorials/
    6. Peterson, Art. “The Statue of a Heroic Crusader who Spent his Life Fighting to Keep Statues out of Golden Gate Park: Historical Essay.” FOUNDSF. Accessed on: Apr.il23,2021.https://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=The_Statue_of_a_Heroic_Crusader_who_Spent_his_Life_Fighting_to_Keep_Statues_out_of_Golden_Gate_Park.
    7. Pollock, Christopher. "Golden Gate Park." Encyclopedia of San Francisco. A PROJECT OF THE SF MUSEUM AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 2003. WEB. Accessed on: April 10, 2021. http://www.sfhistoryencyclopedia.com/articles/g/goldenGate-park.html
    8. San Francisco Chronicle, FINAL HOME ed., 27 Dec. 1953, p. 42. NewsBank: San Francisco ChronicleHistoricalArchive,infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=EANX-NB&docref=image/v2%3A142051F45F422A02%40EANX-NB-1508629495472B6A%402434739-15071CEA393C82FE%4041-15071CEA393C82FE%40. Accessed 22 Apr. 2021.
    9. Tre. "John McLaren Statue." Atlas Obscura. n.d. WEB. Accessed on: April 10, 2021. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/john-mclaren-statue
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