World War I memorial at Pittsburgh's Obama Academy to be restored for 100th anniversary

A bronze World War I memorial outside Obama Academy in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood is getting a facelift for its 100th anniversary.

The memorial bears the names of more than 500 World War I veterans who were students at the former Peabody High School, now Obama Academy, on North Highland Avenue.

It is anticipated that pending restoration work will be completed in time for a rededication ceremony scheduled for May 30, exactly 100 years after the memorial’s dedication.

Sylvia Wilson, a Peabody graduate and Pittsburgh Public Schools board member, said the memorial “was truly the centerpiece of the school.”

“It’s a significant piece of public art for our entire district and an incredible piece of history for the students at Obama to have on their campus,” she said.

James Hill, a member of Pittsburgh’s Historic Review Commission, spearheaded an effort with Preservation Pittsburgh and other partners to raise money to revitalize the aging memorial and ensure it can provide an outdoor space for students to gather and learn.

“Our public schools are not just places of education, but in many cases, time capsules of the neighborhoods that surround them,” Hill said. “This project preserves that history and benefits so many students today.”

Preservation Pittsburgh is asking the community to help identify family members of the World War I service members who are recognized on the memorial.

There were 543 Peabody students and alumni who served in World War I and survived, and another 17 who were killed. Peabody High School closed in 2011 and later became Obama Academy.

Anyone whose family members attended Peabody from 1911 through 1918 and served in the war is asked to reach out to info@preservationpgh.org.

The school also is looking for a lost film reel — or a copy of it — that shows the memorial’s original dedication ceremony. Newspaper reports said that a film of the event had been shown at the Regent Theater — now called Kelly-Strayhorn Theater — in 1924.

Pittsburgh sculptor Frank Vittor created the more than 6-foot-tall bronze sculpture, which includes a statue of Columbia, the personification of America; a mother and son; a returned soldier about to be crowned with laurels; the allegorical figure of Victory clutching a wreath; and a depiction of Immortality.

Hill anticipates that three or four weeks of on-site restoration work, which has not yet begun, will be done by mid-May. Repairs will include replacing a statue’s missing hand and installing a new flagpole.

Pittsburgh’s Fine Art Conservation Services will recast the hand.

There is enough money now to cover the cost of the restoration, Hill said. Any additional funds would help pay to enhance the outdoor classroom space around the memorial and purchase tables and chairs for students to use nearby.

Preservation Pittsburgh already has raised more than 80% of its $175,000 goal for the project, and it is continuing to accept donations. The school district will not have to pay anything for the restoration.

The project also will include restoring public access and a former outdoor classroom space around the memorial. Once this work is completed, a new school quad area will be available for students.

“It gives our students a dynamic new outdoor space for learning and connects them to the students who have walked these halls before them,” said Yalonda Colbert, the school’s principal.

Students at Obama Academy will research World War I for the project.

“This sort of project is an exciting new endeavor for us,” said Matthew Falcone, president of Preservation Pittsburgh. “We’ve had remarkable success over the years landmarking important buildings and parks in Pittsburgh. Now, we’re so close to preserving this memorial for generations to come.”