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Heart of Downtown Charleston WV Public Art Tour
Item 27 of 28
This statue of Henry Gassaway Davis was created in 1926 by Louis Saint-Lanne. The bronze work depicts Davis Park's namesake astride a horse. After almost a century of residence in Davis Park, the piece had heavily succumbed to the perils of time and vandalism. The Kanawha Garden Club and the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation donated $39,437 to have the work restored. McKay Lodge Laboratory completed conservation work on the base and statue itself in 2018. This project involved washing dirt and staining from the base, reversing corrosion on the statue, and repatinating the bronze to protect from future damage. An identical statue of Davis can be found in Elkins, WV.

The statue before restoration.

Window, Sculpture, Landmark, Horse

Christina L. Simms at work on the statue in 2018.

Human, Sculpture, Horse tack, Bronze sculpture

The statue after restoration.

Window, Sculpture, Horse, Landmark

Kersey, Lori. Charleston sculpture to be cleaned, conserved, Charleston Gazette-Mail. August 6th 2018. Accessed December 15th 2020. https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/kanawha_county/charleston-sculpture-to-be-cleaned-conserved/article_63b44156-d918-5246-b99b-29b5a2d14675.html.

Pierson, Jeff. Eye of the Beholder: Preserving public art for future generations, Charleston Gazette-Mail. May 16th 2019. Accessed December 15th 2020. https://www.wvgazettemail.com/life/eye-of-the-beholder-preserving-public-art-for-future-generations/article_fd1b3c17-21a6-59b7-89d2-fe578613e3e8.html.

Restoration of Outdoor Bronze: Revitalizing Henry Gassaway Davis, McKay Lodge Laboratory. Accessed December 15th 2020. https://mckaylodge.com/restoration-of-outdoor-bronze-revitalizing-henry-gassaway-davis/.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

McKay Lodge Laboratory. Accessed December 15, 2020. https://mckaylodge.com/restoration-of-outdoor-bronze-revitalizing-henry-gassaway-davis/.

McKay Lodge Laboratory. Accessed December 15, 2020. https://mckaylodge.com/restoration-of-outdoor-bronze-revitalizing-henry-gassaway-davis/.

McKay Lodge Laboratory. Accessed December 15, 2020. https://mckaylodge.com/restoration-of-outdoor-bronze-revitalizing-henry-gassaway-davis/.