Gt'i',. 'C:/te~· Sif&frt. ~~ ... 1/f@p~. 9& "'lft . ilfi&J! If; 11 LATINO ARTS LA . ~'!! IV{j lf& ~§,: [h-. .., California 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization 1:6'1'~ 412 .. \ 451 S. Main St. #708, Los Angeles, CA 90013 tel. 213-627-7834 I '
October 26, 201 0
Dear Arts, Parks, Health, and Aging Committee,
I would like to propose that the long-forgotten Beethoven monument in Pershing Square be moved to a new l9cation in the park, one that is more appropriate to the historic nature of the monument and to the values Beethoven stood for. Now is the perfect opportunity to address this issue as Mr. Delijani moves forward in placing his monument to Cyrus the Great.
Anyone who has studied Beethoven, his life and music, will know that he wrote the greatest hymn to peace and brotherhood, his 9th Symphony. It is ironic that he has been relegated to stand next to war memorial since the reconfiguration of Pershing Square in the 1970s. Very few people every'stop to notice him or the signage below that gives a historical perspective to Los Angeles' great musical past.
1 I then propose that Beethoven be moved to the 5 h and Olive comer of the Pershing Square as to commemorate the history of our beloved Los Angeles Philharmonic and its history at the now-dismantled Philharmonic Auditorium; the cost of which could be rolled into the Delijani proposal for Cyrus the Great.
I thank you for your kind consideration of this proposal.
Sincerely, !0Mtd~t6JA--flld~ Michael Hudson-Medina
Executive Director, Latino Arts LA A new sculpture for Pershing Square?
October 25, 2010 I Los Angeles Times Broadway and 7th Street in downtown Los Angeles is officially known as Ezat Delijani Square, in honor of the Beverly Hills real estate developer who ended up on the front page of Monday's Times over the issue of a questionable criminal investigation launched by Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca- outside his agency's jurisdiction- on behalf ofDelijani, a well-connected supporter. Both men have denied anything untoward in the rather unusual investigation.
Meanwhile, last month the L.A. City Council moved forward on a proposal by Delijani to erect a Pershing Square sculpture of Cyrus the Great, founder of the Persian Empire some 2,600 years ago, two blocks away from the donor's eponymous intersection. According to a report in blogdowntown.com, Delijani would pay for the design, fabrication, installation and maintenance of the statue. No artist was identified for the project.
Pershing Square is home to a few memorial sculptures, the most artistically notable being Arnold Foerster's life-size 1932 bronze of composer Ludwig van Beethoven. (The city's Philharmonic Auditorium, long since razed, was across the street.) About 2,500 people attended the dedication of the composer's likeness that year, which came just five days after Mexican muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros shocked the city's elite at the unveiling of his controversial Olvera Street mural "America Tropical."
Today, as "America Tropical" inches toward restoration to public view, the Foerster sculpture stands largely forgotten. As always, the significance of the artist rather than the subject plays the larger role in civic memory. Approvals for a Cyrus the Great statue at the site are pending with the Parks and Recreation Department and the Municipal Arts Commission.
- Christopher Knight
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Proposed New Location for Beethoven Monument