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Pioneer Monument

Pioneer Monument is a historic memorial in San Francisco, California, created by sculptor Frank Happersberger with financial support from James Lick. Unveiled on Thanksgiving Day in 1894, the 820-ton bronze and granite monument originally stood at Marshall Square near Hyde, Grove, and Market streets. Designed in a Victorian style, it once complemented the old City Hall. After the 1906 earthquake and fire, it remained in place until 1993, when it was moved to make room for a new library. The monument has long been controversial because of its depiction of Native Americans in submissive poses. In response to protests, the city later installed an explanatory plaque acknowledging the suffering of Indigenous people.

Pioneer Monument in San Francisco, with a bronze crowned female figure atop a tall stone column, sculptural groups at the base, and a fenced foreground.
Pioneer Monument stands outside San Francisco City Hall, featuring a central column topped by a bronze figure and sculptural groups at the base.
© · Public domain
The rear of the Pioneer Monument, a multi-tiered stone monument topped by a robed figure holding a shield and spear, with bronze statues around the base.
Rear view of the Pioneer Monument in San Francisco, showing the monument’s tiers and surrounding bronze figures.
August 2009 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Pioneer Monument on a granite base in a brick-paved plaza, with San Francisco City Hall and its dome in the background.
Pioneer Monument stands at the end of a brick-paved plaza with San Francisco City Hall rising behind it.
April 2017 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Pioneer Monument bronze sculptural group showing three figures above the carved words \
The Pioneer Monument’s \"Early Days\" bronze group, with three figures atop a granite base.
April 2017 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Pioneer Monument at a San Francisco street intersection, with a domed building in the background.
Pioneer Monument stands at a busy San Francisco intersection, with a domed building rising behind it.
© · Public domain

Identification

TitlePioneer Monument
Original-language titleПам'ятник піонерам
Alternative nameMonument of Pioneers
TypeHistorical monument

Historical context

Century19th century
Dedicated29 November 1894
Installed1894
Opening occasionThanksgiving Day

Creator

FinancierJames Lick
SculptorFrank Happersberger

Discovery and provenance

BequestUS$100,000 left by James Lick in 1876 for the construction of a monument
DonorJames Lick
Associated organizationThe Society of California Pioneers
Selection dateSeptember 1890
Selection processChosen by the trustees of the Lick estate from four artist submissions and twenty-eight design entries

Location and ownership

Commemorated subjectPioneers
Intended donation siteA section of land on Fourth Street near Market
Relocation reasonTo free space for a new public library
Relocated in1993
Relocated toThe middle of Fulton Street, between the old and new libraries and across a park from City Hall
Nearby landmarkSan Francisco Public Library
Current locationFulton Street between Hyde and Larkin Streets, Civic Center, San Francisco, California, United States
Original locationMarshall Square, near the intersection of Hyde and Grove Streets, in front of the Old City Hall, San Francisco, California, United States

Physical characteristics

Height47 feet
Height14.3 meters
Weight820 tons
FormColumn-shaped pedestal with pedestal-mounted sculptural groups
CompositionA central column surrounded by four additional statues on surrounding piers, plus bas-reliefs and portrait medallions

Materials

ComponentsBronze figures and reliefs
MaterialsBronze and granite

Technique

Relief typeBas-reliefs

Style

StyleVictorian style

Appearance

Central compositionMinerva/Athena stands on a column with a California bear, representing California's motto 'Eureka' ('I have found it')
Medallion figuresFrancis Drake, John Sutter, John Fremont, Father Junipero Serra, and James Lick
Cardinal-direction placementSouth: Commerce; North: Plenty; West: In '49'; East: Early Days
Column dates1848 and 1850
Portrait medallionsFive portrait medallions
Additional sculpture on the third pedestalThree prospectors
Female sculpture representing tradeA woman on her own base in a boat with an oar
Female sculpture representing agricultureA woman on her own base holding a cornucopia
Gold Rush groupIn '49'
Additional allegorical figuresCommerce and Plenty
Accompanying figureCalifornia bear
Central figure placementOn top of the central column
Central figure attributesSpear and shield
Other sculptural groupEarly Days
Central figureAthena, personification of California

Iconography and meaning

Local Indigenous peopleThe Native people of the Bay Area were Ohlone
Father Junipero Serra roleBrought Christianity to California in 1769
James Marshall significanceKnown for discovering gold in 1848, though some accounts say he rediscovered it
Early Days criticismCriticized for depicting Native Americans as subservient and for factual inaccuracy
Early Days meaningDepicts a Franciscan missionary, a Native American, and a vaquero from the ranches of Mexico
In '49' meaningRepresents the California Gold Rush
Plenty meaningRepresents the potential of starting a new life in California
Commerce meaningRepresents the significance of shipping and trade in California and San Francisco
Artist's goalTo represent California's motto, 'Eureka' meaning 'I have found it'
ThemeAllegorical and historical figures representing California's history, economy, and settlement

History and restoration

Plaque addedA brass plaque was installed in 1996 at the base of 'The First Days' / 'The Early Days'
Relocation methodTwenty heavy-duty steel carrying beams were used to transport the monument
Post-removal storageMoved to a storage facility
Removal reasonNative American organizations and some politicians considered it humiliating, racist, and demeaning to Native Americans
Removal circumstancesRemoved in the early morning before sunrise
Removal decisionThe San Francisco Appeals Board unanimously voted to dismantle it on 12 September 2018, and the city council later ordered its removal
Removed component date14 September 2018
Removed componentEarly Days
Plaque contentIt acknowledged colonial occupation and the deaths of 150,000 Native Americans during the mission period of 1769 to 1834
Cornerstone laid10 September 1894
Church and Spanish responseRepresentatives of the Roman Catholic Church and the Spanish consul general said the spread of serious diseases was an unintended consequence of colonization
Preservationist positionSome preservationists wanted it to remain in place to mark the site of Old City Hall
Removal demandsSince 1991, Native American organizations demanded removal of the monument as racially oriented, offensive, dehumanizing, and factually inaccurate
Relocation contextA 1991 plan to move the monument for a new public library led to protests and a lawsuit
Survived eventThe 1906 earthquake and fire
City Hall construction period1870 to 1897
Architectural relationshipIt complemented the pediment of City Hall
Dedication organizersLick Trustees, Society of California Pioneers, and Native Sons of the Golden West
Construction ground brokenMay 1894 at San Francisco City Hall

Significance

Planning contextPioneer monuments were being built in increasing numbers in the late 19th century
Stylistic borrowingBorrowed conventions from Confederate monuments erected at the same time