El Monte to Give ‘Statue of Liberty’ a Tryout

A Newhall couple think El Monte’s replica of the Statue of Liberty would make a fine addition to an area next to their dog kennel where they display castoffs from Magic Mountain.

A Los Angeles man has offered land in Montana owned by his church.

A Redlands couple have canvassed their neighborhood and want the statue for their backyard. Other offers for the 22-foot-tall, one-ton fiberglass replica have come from as far away as Idaho.

Faced with such overtures for a homeless statue that has been stored in the Public Works yard for more than a year, El Monte officials have decided to give Lady Liberty a one-week tryout outside City Hall.

“Then people can gather on the steps of the courthouse (across the street) and give it a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down sign,” said City Councilman Jeff Marrone.

If city fathers decide the statue is an eyesore or disrupts traffic, it will be hauled back to storage to await its fate.

“I don’t want to wake up some morning and say, ‘Oh my God, what is this?’ ” said Marrone, who, although appreciative of the gift, admits that he does not like it.

The bright green statue was donated to the city last year by Dr. Jing T. Wang, a Taiwanese immigrant.

Wang, a naturalized citizen who moved to the United States in 1975 and operates a medical clinic in El Monte, said he donated the statue, for which he paid $50,000, to the city “to show my appreciation for being here.”

The city has publicly displayed it only twice--at its two most recent Fourth of July celebrations. The rest of the time it has collected dust in the Public Works yard.

The city has searched sporadically for a suitable permanent site but has found it is too tall to blend well with most surroundings.

The city had wanted to put the statue outside the county-owned Rio Hondo Municipal Court across the street from City Hall. The judges, however, said it is inconsistent with the courthouse atmosphere.

After a story about the statue’s plight appeared in The Times, the city received calls and letters from people all over the country, many offering to take it.

“There has never been anything in the city where we have received this many letters and phone calls,” Mayor Don McMillen said.

City officials, however, want to keep the statue in El Monte. Beginning Monday, it will stand temporarily on what could be a permanent site west of City Hall, at Valley Boulevard and Johnson Street.

“Once we get it over there, we’ve got one foot in the door,” McMillen said.