Sam Houston Statue
Sam Houston Statue is an outdoor bronze sculpture by Enrico Cerracchio, located at the northwest corner of Hermann Park in Houston, Texas, United States. Designed in 1924 and dedicated in August 1925, the work is administered by the City of Houston Municipal Arts Commission. The equestrian statue shows Sam Houston mounted on his horse, wearing military attire and a long cape. He has a beard and extends his right arm in a pointing gesture.
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Identification | |
| Title | Sam Houston Statue |
| Type | outdoor sculpture; monument; statue |
| Alternative name | Sam Houston Monument |
| Alternative name | Sam Houston |
Creator | |
| Artist | Enrico Cerracchio |
Historical context | |
| Designed | 1924 |
| Proposal year | 1916 |
| Proposed by | landscape architect George Kessler |
| Fundraising began | 1917 |
Physical characteristics | |
| Depicted gesture | pointing with his right arm |
| Base | arch with a Lone Star on the keystone |
| Dimensions | Bronze sculpture dimensions approximately unspecified; base dimensions approximately unspecified |
| Depicted clothing | military attire and a long cape |
| Depicted facial hair | beard |
| Form | equestrian statue |
| Depicted subject | Sam Houston seated atop his horse |
Materials | |
| Material | bronze |
| Base material | gray granite |
| Base fabricator | Frank Teich |
Discovery and provenance | |
| Funding | $40,000 from the Women's City Club, $10,000 from the city government, and $25,000 from the state government |
| Model used for design | Stephen Seymour Thomas' painting General Sam Houston at San Jacinto |
| Estimated fabrication cost | $75,000 |
| Design selection | Selected from designs collected after advertisements in national magazines; entries were displayed in a three-night exhibition in the Humble Oil Building and judged by a panel of notable Houstonians |
Location and ownership | |
| Planned site | a monument circle in Hermann Park |
| Location | Northwest corner of Hermann Park, Houston, Texas, United States |
| Administration | City of Houston's Municipal Arts Commission |
History and restoration | |
| Restoration year | 2006 |
| Donations by 2009 | More than $71,000 donated for the monument's care to the Houston Arts Foundation |
| Fundraising period | Every year since 1993 |
| Restoration funding | Funded entirely by the students |
| Restoration cost | $18,000 |
| Condition in March 1993 | Deemed "treatment urgent" by the Smithsonian Institution's "Save Outdoor Sculpture!" program |
| Adoption year | 1997 |
| Adopted by | Bunker Hill Elementary's 5th grade |
| Historical context at unveiling | At the time, three of Sam Houston's own children were alive, and he was still remembered by many elderly Texans |
| Dedicated by | John Henry Kirby |
| Unveiled by | Sam Houston's great-granddaughter |
| Dedicated | August 16, 1925 |
| Fundraisers | 5th grade students at Bunker Hill Elementary and their corporate sponsors |