Statue of Stevens T. Mason

Stevens T. Mason was an American politician who served as the first governor of Michigan in the early 1800s.[1] In 1831, at the age of 19, U.S. President Andrew Jackson appointed him secretary of the Michigan Territory,[1] and three years later, he became the acting governor of the territory.[2] In these positions, Mason pushed for statehood and, upon Michigan's admittance to the union in 1837, he became the state's first governor.[1] Taking office at the age of 24, he is still the youngest person to ever hold a governorship in the United States, and as a result he is sometimes referred to as the "Boy Governor".[1] Mason would serve as governor until 1839.[2] Following his time in office, he moved to New York City to practice law, where he died of pneumonia in 1843.[2] Although initially buried in a cemetery in the city, his remains were relocated to Detroit in 1905.[2] He was buried in Capitol Park, which had been the location of the state capitol building before the capital was moved to Lansing, Michigan.[3] The reburial ceremony was attended by about 2,000 spectators.[4]

Around the time of Mason's reburial, efforts were underway for the creation of a monument in Detroit in his honor. In 1906, the U.S. Congress granted condemned cannons to the government of Michigan to use in the creation of a statue of Mason.[5] These cannons had been procured by U.S. Senator and former Secretary of War Russell A. Alger, a Detroit native,[6][7] and were from Fort Michilimackinac in Michigan.[8] The following year, the Michigan Legislature passed a number of joint resolutions regarding this statue, allocating $10,000 for the project and calling on the governor to create a three-person commission to oversee the project. Additionally, the legislation specified that the statue would be located at the place of Mason's interment, in Capitol Park.[9] Reporting on the legislation in April 1907, the magazine Granite, Marble and Bronze stated that the governor had organized a commission consisting of politicians Lawton T. Hemans, Arthur L. Holmes, and Daniel McCoy.[10] These three had previously acted as the commission responsible for Mason's reburial in Detroit.[11] The commission held a contest to solicit design proposals and that of New York City-based sculptor Albert Weinert was ultimately selected.[10] Additionally, the magazine stated that the statue would take about a year to complete.[10] Architect H. Van Buren Magonigle, also of New York City, was selected as the architect for the project, overseeing the design of the pedestal and surrounding stonework.[12] Casting for the statue was done by the Roman Bronze Works.[13] In May 1908, The Monumental News reported that the pedestal was being erected by the Lloyd Bros. of Toledo, Ohio and that the monument was expected to be dedicated in June of that year.[14]

The monument with original platform and exedra, c. 1916

The monument was dedicated on May 30, 1908,[15] Memorial Day,[16] in a ceremony attended by several thousand spectators.[12] Thomas W. Palmer presided over the ceremony,[17] and the statue was unveiled by Mason's 93-year-old sister Emily V. Mason.[12][note 1] Following this, an address was delivered by the Reverend Walter Elliott, which was followed by remarks given by Hemans, Detroit Mayor William Barlum Thompson, and Michigan Governor Fred M. Warner.[18] Closing remarks were given by James Burrill Angell, the president of the University of Michigan, who praised Mason for his early support of the university.[18] In honor of Emily (who was a native of Virginia), the band present at the ceremony played "Dixie" at the dedication's conclusion.[19] In June 1908, The Monumental News reported that leftover bronze not used in the casting of the statue would be used to make statuette facsimiles of the statue.[20]

In 1955, the park underwent a renovation that saw Mason's casket unearthed, with his remains kept in temporary storage in a morgue.[21] Despite some calls to relocate the remains to the state capital of Lansing, they were reinterred under the statue following the renovations.[21] At some point during the 1900s, a semicircular platform and balustrade that had once formed part of the monument were removed, leaving only the pedestal and statue.[22] In 1993, the statue was surveyed as part of the Save Outdoor Sculpture! project.[13]

In June 2010, the city began a refurbishing project for Capitol Park, with plans to relocate the monument and Mason's remains from near a traffic intersection to a more centralized part of the park.[23] As part of the project, the statue was temporarily removed for restoration work.[23] During the relocation process, it was discovered that Mason had been buried a short distance from the monument instead of directly under the pedestal as had been previously thought.[23][24] Mason was reinterred in October 2010.[24] On October 27, 2011, Mason's 200th birthday, the Michigan Historical Commission dedicated a historical marker near the monument.[25] In September 2017, the Downtown Detroit Partnership released plans created in conjunction with a Toronto-based architectural firm for a redevelopment of Capitol Park. As part of the project, the statue's pedestal would be removed, and the statue would be placed at ground-level.[26]

When originally dedicated, the monument stood on a semicircular platform surrounded by an exedra.[22] On either side of the monument were two marble endpieces that served as both benches and decorative spacers,[27] and they were topped by bronze lampposts.[12] The overall look of this section was similar to other monuments in Detroit, including the statue of Alexander Macomb and a statue of James J. Brady on Belle Isle.[28][22] However, these sections of the monument were removed at some point during the 1900s.[22]