Wilkinsburg's new Abraham Lincoln statue will go up in June

The wait for a new Abraham Lincoln statue to return to its familiar perch in Wilkinsburg is almost over.

Wilkinsburg Historical Society President Anne Elise Morris said that the new Lincoln statue will be erected in June at the intersection of Penn Avenue and Ardmore Boulevard.

The newly sculpted, life-size 400-pound bronze statue of the 16^th president of the United States was unveiled in late February in the Wilkinsburg Borough Municipal Building. It has remained there on public view while a specially designed black granite base is being put in place at its future outdoor home atop the Penn Avenue Lincoln Highway Hill.

“The galaxy black granite base that we ordered from India has arrived and it’s a two-piece pedestal,” said Morris. “The first piece was placed by an expert in granite moving. The second piece is four feet high because this statue will be two feet higher than the last statue to give him a little more presence looking out over Wilkinsburg.”

Kristina Serafini | Tribune-Review

A new Abraham Lincoln statue, by Pittsburgh-based sculptor Susan Wagner, is unveiled at the Wilkinsburg Borough municipal building Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021. The new statue will replace the damaged century-old one at the intersection of Ardmore Boulevard and Penn Avenue. Wagner’s other well-known Pittsburgh sculptures include the Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell statues outside PNC Park.

Morris said the stainless steel rods that will hold the statue in place have to be test-fitted before the second piece of the granite pedestal can be mounted onto the first piece. A crane will then be needed to lift the statue into the air and place it onto the pedestal.

The statue will replace the battered sheet-copper Lincoln statue that was dedicated in 1916 and stood for over a century.

Borough officials also want to create better lighting to illuminate the new Lincoln statue at night, Morris said.

“We’re really looking forward to getting him back up in his permanent spot so everybody can see what they’ve spent so much time and effort helping to raise funds for,” said Morris. “I’m so proud of Wilkinsburg for caring about beauty and history and tradition.”

The new statue was designed by world-renowned sculptor Susan Wagner, a Penn Hills native, whose other work includes the Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell and Bill Mazeroski statues at PNC Park as well as the statue of Dr. Thomas Starzl, the organ transplant pioneer, at the University of Pittsburgh.