116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Statue of Liberty replica plans return to new Cedar Rapids location after unions repair vandalism
Cedar Rapids’ first statue will assume new post at City Hall
Oct. 19, 2025 5:30 am
The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
CEDAR RAPIDS — After 75 years of holding her torch high, Cedar Rapids’ replica Lady Liberty is getting a helping hand.
The city’s first public statue was installed in 1950 by the Boy Scouts of America in a “Strengthening the Arm of Liberty” campaign that placed about 200 Statue of Liberty replicas around the country. Earlier this year, local labor unions were tasked with strengthening a more literal arm.
Recent repairs, completed over the last six months by sheet metal apprentices at SMART (Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation) Local 263 and painting apprentices at the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades Local 117, are the third time the local paragon of freedom has been restored.
Later this year, the statue will be reinstalled at its new location in Cedar Rapids City Hall, where shelter from the elements will better preserve it.
Repairing 14 years of vandalism
In May, 15 sheet metal apprentices started the restoration process with instructors, putting in over 100 hours of work to restore extensive vandalism.
This is the statue’s third time being repaired since it was installed 75 years ago. Its last two restorations were in 2011 and 1985.
For the first time this year, nine painting apprentices and their instructors from Local 117 joined restoration efforts, replacing a portion of work that was previously contracted by DA Bunch Co.
In years past, restoration efforts were led by sheet metal union retirees. This time, the effort was a learning opportunity for apprentices led by instructors and knowledge imbued by sheet metal retiree Gary Myers.
First on their to-do list was reattaching Lady Liberty’s raised right arm, which was severed at the shoulder by vandals. Using a brazing process instead of soldering, the copper arm now has a much stronger bond thanks to a more intense heat.
“It’s a very permanent fix as opposed to soldering,” said Matt Mutert, sheet metal instructor for SMART Local 263.
Apprentices repaired a large hole in the back of the statue’s head, restored numerous dents, and remade tines that were ripped off Lady Liberty’s crown. Like the statue itself, the crown was made in scale to the original Statue of Liberty gifted to the United States from France in 1886 — making precision a key part of repairs.
Painting apprentices gave her a fresh green coat, covering up spray paint and marker tags accumulated from vandals over the years — most notably on the tablet held by her left arm. Now, her finish more closely resembles her New York inspiration’s oxidized green patina.
A new stainless steel base is in design for Lady Liberty’s next posting at City hall.
A learning opportunity for apprentices
The continued commitment from local unions presented unique learning opportunities that apprentices can’t acquire from most projects.
“That was the main goal, to pass down the knowledge from the older generation to the younger generation,” Mutert said.
Instead of using modern tools, Mutert had apprentices use the older equipment that would have been used to make the statue 75 years ago, like propane-powered soldering pots with irons. Soldering is not done as often in modern sheet metal work, he said, due to its slower speed.
This was a chance to instill not only skills, but a sense of craftsmanship.
“Being able to manipulate the metal with rudimentary tools, it teaches you the craftsmanship that can be lost,” Mutert said. “You’ve got to keep the history of the craft around and relevant to them, because then you appreciate your career a little bit more.”
On a public piece of art that turns thousands of heads every year from passersby, he said lessons in craftsmanship instill a crucial work ethic — whether one’s work is on full display or hidden from view.
For painting apprentices, it was a novel opportunity to work on something beautiful — not just functional.
“We do more commercial and industrial painting, so it’s putting larger amounts of paint on massive surfaces,” said Travis Luchtenberg, painting instructor for Local 117. “This gave them the opportunity to come in, work on something a little more intricate and a little bit more meticulous — more artistic.
“This is a pretty rare find.”
A valuable partnership
Having invested tens of thousands of dollars in labor costs and materials since the first repair in 1985, unions say their partnership with the City of Cedar Rapids is worth more than the sum of the statue’s parts.
“(It’s important) to be able to get out in front of people, to show them that your local unions care not only about being part of Cedar Rapids history, but maintaining it and carrying it forward,” Luchtenberg said. “We love this city, and we want to take care of it.”
When the statue was first installed at Greene Square Park in 1950, organized labor was in its heyday. In the 1950s, about one-third of the American workforce belonged to a union.
Last year, union membership fell to an all-time low, with only 9.9 percent of American workers belonging to one.
“It’s important because, at least on the political side of things, we want people to be involved with labor issues,” Mutert said. “Having that start locally is huge in order to help push the labor movement.”
Lady Liberty’s local history
With inspiration from a statue made of chicken wire and concrete in Spirit Lake, Boy Scouts Commissioner Jack Whitaker from Kansas City, Missouri, came up with the idea of creating miniature Statues of Liberty to celebrate the Boy Scouts of America's 40th anniversary.
The Waubeek Area Council Boy Scouts covering Linn, Jones and Benton counties ordered one of the statues. The 2,700 Waubeek scouts paid for the $300 statue, made by Friedley-Voshardt Co. of Chicago, by donating 10 to 25 cents each.
Scouts initially asked the Cedar Rapids City Council for permission to install the statue on May’s Island. But following a skeptical editorial published in The Gazette, the City Plan Commission recommended it be installed in Greene Square Park.
The city’s first public statue was unveiled there to much fanfare in October 1950, where more than 2,000 people and Iowa Gov. William Beardsley attended a dedication ceremony.
By 1951, Boy Scouts had installed statues across nearly 40 states, including sites in Dubuque, Iowa City, Waterloo and West Liberty. Iowa City’s original statue remains in Iowa City High School’s foyer.
Eventually, the Cedar Rapids statue did find a home on May’s Island, where it was moved in 2003. But its island residency didn’t last long.
In the record Cedar River flood of 2008, she was swept off her pedestal. A change in mounting systems between Greene Square Park and May’s Island resulted in more damage due to a fixed cement base that trapped moisture and condensation inside the hollow statue.
Retired sheet metal workers from SMART Local 263 volunteered again to restore the statue, spending more than 300 hours on repairs.
In 2011, she was moved to the First Avenue Bridge for better visibility.
Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or elijah.decious@thegazette.com.
Daily Newsletters