Denver City Park Burns Memorial

Denver City Park Burns Memorial

N39 44.827 W104 57.225 1904 Statue ROBERT BURNS MEMORIAL," Grant Stevenson, bronze, 1909 http://freepages.folklore.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~bldr/johnduff.html Jessie Scott McGilvray, sister of John D. McGilvray, married Thomas Carroll Hayes, a stone contractor. John and Thomas formed a stone contracting company called "Hayes and McGilvray." They built Denver City Hall, the upper story on the Denver Court House, the old Denver Post office, the Windsor Hotel, the Barth block, the Kittredge building, St. Leo's Church, East High School, North High School, and other big office structures. In the eighties John Duff McGilvray was elected alderman from the 11th ward, which position he held for several terms. He served on the Board of Supervisors, and thru his efforts facilitated the purchase of the City park from the state. Mr. McGilvray, as a member of the Caledonian society, was largely responsible for the placing of the Robert Burns statue in the City park. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Burns He is regarded as a pioneer of the Romantic movement and after his death became a great source of inspiration to the founders of both liberalism and socialism. William Grant Stevenson 1849 - 1919 Sculptor. Partnered his brother David Watson Stevenson (1842 - 1904) in the firm of D.W. & G. Stevenson. Based in Edinburgh, his works include a statue for the Scott Monument in Edinburgh, a monument to the poet Robert Burns (1759-96) in Kilmarnock and a bronze relief on the grave of decorator Thomas Bonnar (1810-73) in Dean Cemetery, David Watson Stevenson (D.W. Stevenson) 1842 - 1904 Sculptor. Born at Ratho, to the west of Edinburgh, he was the elder brother of another sculptor William Grant Stevenson (1849 - 1919) with whom he was to form a partnership. Stevenson trained at the Trustee's School (Edinburgh) and was an apprentice in the studio of the sculptor William Brodie (1815-81). He won a national prize for a statuette of Venus de Milo, and thereafter he went on to complete his studies in Rome (Italy). ----- http://siris-artinventories.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=121514M179F9W.3098&profile=ariall&source=~!siartinventories&view=subscriptionsummary&uri=full=3100001~!14468~!0&ri=6&aspect=Browse&menu=search&ipp=20&spp=20&staffonly=&term=Stevenson,+William+Grant,+1849-1919,+sculptor.&index=&uindex=&aspect=Browse&menu=search&ri=6 Robert Burns, (sculpture). Add to my list Artist: Stevenson, William Grant, 1849-1919, sculptor. Edbrooke, Frank, architect. Unknown (Edinburgh, Scotland), founder. Title: Robert Burns, (sculpture). Other Titles: Robert Burns Monument, (sculpture). Dates: 1903-1904. Dedicated July 4, 1904. Medium: Figure: bronze; Base: marble and polished granite. Dimensions: Overall: approx. 27 x 8 x 6 ft.; Figure: approx. H. 10 ft. Inscription: (Front of base, raised:) BURNS (Front of base, incised:) A POET PEASANT BORN/WHO MORE OF FAME'S IMMORTAL DOWER/UNTO HIS COUNTRY BRINGS/THAN ALL HER KINGS (North step, bottom of base:) Erected and unveiled by the Caledonian Club #1 of Denver Description: Portrait of poet Robert Burns. He is seen standing, wearing a long tail coat, vest, and knickers with knee-high socks. His proper right hand holds proper right lapel of coat. His proper left hand holds a book against his proper left thigh. The monument is decorated with a Scottish shield, lion rampant, thistle, festoon and wreath. Subject: Portrait male -- Burns, Robert -- Full length Ethnic -- Scottish Occupation -- Writer -- Poet Object Type: Outdoor Sculpture -- Colorado -- Denver Sculpture Owner: Administered by City and County of Denver, Department of Parks & Recreation, 2300 15th Street, Suite 200, Denver, Colorado 80202 Located City Park, Rose Garden, Denver, Colorado Provenance: Formerly administered by City and County of Denver, Commission on Cultural Affairs, Ste. 1600, 1st Western Plaza, 303 W. Colfax Avenue, Denver, Colorado 80204 Remarks: Erected by Caledonian Club no. 1 of Denver, Colorado at a cost of $8,000 to $10,000. IAS files contain related newspaper articles from Denver Post, June 1, 1959, pg. 52; June 7, 1993, pg. E24; and articles from Rocky Mountain News, Jan. 2, 1963, pg. 49 and April 21, 1965, pg. 83. Condition: Surveyed 1993 July. Well maintained. References: Save Outdoor Sculpture, Colorado, Denver survey, 1993. City and County of Denver, 1987. City and County of Denver, Mayor's Office of Art, Culture and Film, 1996. Public Monument Conservation Project, 1986, 1991. Denver Post, June 1, 1959, pg. 52. National Park Service, American Monuments and Outdoor Sculpture Database, CO7002, 1989. Monumental News, April, 1903, pg. 246. Illustration: Image on file. Denver Post, June 1, 1959, pg. 52. Note: The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide. Repository: Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012 Control Number: IAS CO000015 ============
The Burns Memorial in Denver's City Park is a portrait of poet Robert Burns. He is seen standing, wearing a long tail coat, vest, and knickers with knee-high socks. His proper right hand holds proper right lapel of coat. His proper left hand holds a book against his proper left thigh. The monument is decorated with a Scottish shield, lion rampant, thistle, festoon and wreath. The sculptor is William Grant (1849-1919) Stevenson of Edbrooke, Scotland. The base is marble and polished granite and the memorial stands approx. 27 x 8 x 6 ft.; the figure of Burns is approx. 10 ft. tall. The base reads:

BURNS
A POET PEASANT BORN
WHO MORE OF FAME'S IMMORTAL DOWER
UNTO HIS COUNTRY BRINGS
THAN ALL HER KINGS
(Excerpted from Smithsonian Art Inventory Catalog.)

So how did a giant memorial to Burns end up in Denver? Erected by Caledonian Club No. 1 of Denver, Colorado at a cost of $8,000 to $10,000. (See newspaper articles from Denver Post, June 1, 1959, pg. 52; June 7, 1993, pg. E24; and articles from Rocky Mountain News, Jan. 2, 1963, pg. 49 and April 21, 1965, pg. 83.) In the eighties John Duff McGilvray (of stone contracting company called "Hayes and McGilvray" who built Denver City Hall, the upper story on the Denver Court House, the old Denver Post office, the Windsor Hotel, the Barth block, the Kittredge building, St. Leo's Church, East High School, North High School, and other big office structures) was elected alderman from the 11th ward, which position he held for several terms. He served on the Board of Supervisors, and thru his efforts facilitated the purchase of the City park from the state. Mr. McGilvray, as a member of the Caledonian society, was largely responsible for the placing of the Robert Burns statue in the City park.

The monument is surrounded by Civil War Union Artillery donated and first flower garden established by the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR)in 1894 through 1897.

====================== Civil War Artillery 1894 1897: Civil War – Union Artillery donated and first flower garden established by the Grand Army of the Republic