West Coast ‘Statue of Liberty’

We of the U.S. Pacific Council wish to applaud Mayor Tom Bradley for his public support of the idea of a symbol of the significance of our area. Fortunately, the project is already well under way.

The Pacific Council is a three-year-old organization dedicated to celebrate the cultural diversity of the peoples of the Pacific Basin. Our concept of open ethnicity is the preservation of one’s cultural heritage along with an openness to experience the culture of other ethnic groups, and has been heralded by international leaders.

We are composed of significant representative of business, culture and religion. In addition to Los Angeles city, county and federal officials, we are supported by the governor’s administration. It was our intention not to go public with the project until the conclusion of the festivities surrounding the rededication of the Statue of Liberty. During the early stages of our meetings we considered and rejected any specific comparison to the Statue of Liberty as being inappropriate to our specific goals.

In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt said, “The Mediterranean Era died with the discovery of America . . . The Atlantic Era is now at the height of its development . . . The Pacific Era, destined to be the greatest of all, is just at its dawn.”

Recognizing that the Los Angeles area is a microcosm of all the peoples of the Pacific, we selected world famous architect Helmut Jahn to create this important identity. The futuristic structure, of more than 1,800 feet in height and the world’s tallest building, will incorporate fiber optics, lasers and satellite communications. Visitors will be able to reach the top either by elevator or on a spectacular cable ride. The tower at its base will include: a Pacific Basin Art Museum, ethnic restaurants, motion picture theaters, consular offices, an auditorium and exhibit halls. The tower is surrounded by a drive-through sculpture garden with representative sculptures from each of the Pacific nations. It symbolizes the significance of the Pacific Basin and focuses attention on Los Angeles as its fulcrum.

Private capital has been identified for the construction of the project emphasizing the universality of the idea. Our work over the past three years has been extensive in scope, analyzing many sites, meeting with numerous government leaders and prospective funding sources. We are sure that the mayor and City Council will welcome the opportunity to benefit from the massive amount of time and work already completed on this ambitious project.

RUTH MURPHY CASSELMAN

JOSEPH R. RENSCH

Beverly Hills

Casselman is chairman of the U.S. Pacific Council and Rensch is honorary president.