A statue of William H. Seward (pictured) passed through Seward, Nebraska, on its way to Juneau, Alaska, this summer. Since then, a statue committee has been working to bring a statue of President Abraham Lincoln’s secretary of state to Seward permanently. The new statue will use the same mold, created by sculptor David Rubin, as the Juneau statue. Members of the statue committee and the Seward County Chamber and Development Partnership said the statue could be the start of a gathering place in the downtown area.
The Seward County Commissioners discussed the possibility of creating a gathering space around a statue of William H. Seward during their latest meeting.
On Dec. 12, Jessica Kolterman and Jonathan Jank of the statue committee spoke to the board.
The statue will be placed on the northwest corner of the courthouse square. Kolterman said a donor has paid for the statue, casting, pedestal and for the artist’s travel expenses to install the statue. She added the statue is to be installed by July 4, 2018.
With the statue, Kolterman said a next possible phase is creating a gathering space around the it.
In December 2016, the City of Seward was awarded a $30,000 grant from the Nebraska Department of Economic Development to create a downtown revitalization plan, which was revealed this summer.
Part of that plan includes creating gathering spaces for the public in the heart of the downtown district.
Jank said the statue and revitalization plans happening around the same time is serendipitous.
“One of the focus areas is to help create gathering places that encourage people to be and stay in downtown Seward more often,” Jank said.
Kolterman said the Seward statue gathering area could include plaques that educate visitors about Seward’s history and its status as the Fourth of July City. It might also include walkways and benches.
However, Jank also said there are no preconceived notions about if the gathering place will be created or what it will look like.
Kolterman said the county, because it owns the courthouse square land, the city and the Seward County Chamber and Development Partnership will need to meet before any plans move forward.
Jank is the president and CEO of SCCDP and Kolterman serves on its board of directors.
Commissioner Roger Glawatz said he wants to see plans before anything is decided because a statue, and possible gathering space, will exist for several decades.
“I just want to make certain if we want a gather space—I don’t want it to be short-lived,” Glawatz said.
Kolterman said she has had preliminary conversations with an architect, but designing conceptual plans would cost around $3,000 and $5,000. She said the statue committee would be willing to contribute funds, but is not able to pay the full cost.
A meeting with an architect will be planned. No official action was taken.
