Return Visit statue

Photo: Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum 

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - A sculpture at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield will be removed Monday. 

The sculpture, named "Return Visit," is 31 feet tall and has a weight of 37,000 pounds - talk about huge! It shows Lincoln talking to a modern man about the Gettysburg Address. 

The late Seward Johnson is the artist responsible for the creation of the sculpture. Click here for more information about him. 

"Return Visit" was installed a ALPLM on May 22, 2019. The temporary exhibit was a joint initiative of the museum and the city of Springfield. 

Organizers released the following information about a schedule for the removal of the sculpture on Nov. 16: 

  • The trucks and cranes needed to remove the sculpture will be parked on Sixth Street between Jefferson and Madison. That block will be closed to other traffic.
  • The sidewalk between Sixth Street and the museum will be closed, too. The sidewalk on the west side of the street, along Union Square Park, will be open.
  • Work will begin about 7 a.m. The first hour or so will be devoted to prep and set-up, not dismantling the sculpture.
  • The trucks that will carry the statue pieces away will arrive around 10 a.m. All work should be completed between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.
  • No media availability is planned.