Lenin Statue - Seattle, WA
N 47° 39.082 W 122° 21.057
10T E 548741 N 5277755
This seven ton, 16 foot high statue of Lenin originated in Poprad, Slovakia and was brought to the U.S. and now resides in the Fremont district of Seattle, WA.
Waymark Code: WMGCKA
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 02/14/2013
Views: 51
Visitors to
Fremont, a district of Seattle, WA, will notice a large, bronze
statue of
Vladimir Lenin that stands tall and triumphant at the corner of Fremont Place N and N 36th St. This statue was sculpted by renowned artist, Emil Venkov, in 1988, and installed in Poprad, Slovakia. It took Venkov 10 years to create this piece, but shortly after its installation, it was removed during the 1989 Czechoslovakian 'Velvet' Revolution and eventual downfall of the Soviet Union. It was found lying face down by Lewis Carpenter, an American veteran teaching English in Poprad, in a scrapyard waiting to be destroyed for the value of its bronze. From the
FremontSeattle.com website:
(Carpenter) recognized Venkov’s skill and craftsmanship and the boldness of his portrayal, and was determined that the statue be preserved. Carpenter mortgaged his house to acquire the sculpture and brought it back to Issaquah. He died in 1994. The statue is now owned by his family. It is sited here temporarily for viewing and sale, both to fulfill Carpenter’s dream, that the work be seen and enjoyed and eventually find a permanent home and to serve as a reminder of an important historical period.
From Wikipedia.com, it mentions this statue as being taking down from its original installation in 1998 in Lenin Square, across the street from the main hospital in Poprad, Slovakia. I looked on Google Maps and could not find Lenin Square (I'm assuming it doesn't exist anymore) anywhere near the hospital so I've provided coordinates to the hospital helicopter landing pad, which stands out on the map.
The official website of Fremont has a page devoted to the history of this statue and can be read in more detail here.
The family of Lewis Carpenter, who owns this statue of Lenin is trying to sell it to the highest bidder. As of 2006, their asking price to buy Lenin was $250,000.