Monument to Schaefer
The 7-foot-2-inch bronze statue of William Donald Schaefer that went up at Harborplace over the weekend bore little resemblance to Hampden's now-famous giant pink flamingo, but in spirit the two works are equally monuments to Baltimore's renaissance. When Mr. Schaefer first took office as mayor of Baltimore in 1971, the Inner Harbor was a collection of rat-infested, rotting wharfs and the working-class community of Hampden was a place outsiders rarely dared venture after dark. By the time Mr. Schaefer left the mayor's office for the governor's mansion in 1986 Harborplace had become a national showcase of urban revitalization and Hampden was sprouting trendy boutiques and art galleries heralding the onset of gentrification.
Mr. Schaefer never claimed that Harborplace was his idea, but he was perhaps more than anyone else responsible for making it such an extraordinary success. Who can forget his zany antics wearing an old-fashioned striped bathing suit in the seal pool to promote the opening of the National Aquarium in Baltimore in 1981? Or his famous "Do it now!" credo that kept city bureaucrats hopping to pick up strewn garbage and fix the potholes he spotted during his periodic jaunts through unprepossessing communities like Hampden? He was a combination of jovial Big Daddy and demanding Mr. Scrooge, and just unpredictable enough that you never quite knew which you were going to get on any given occasion. The one thing you could be sure of was that when Willie Don said, "Do it now!" things got done.
Over the years we've had our our share of disagreements with Mr. Schaefer, both as mayor and Maryland governor, over issues ranging from crime and municipal finances to housing and the parlous state of the city's schools. And we're generally leery of heaping laurels on living politicians by naming buildings and bridges after them or by casting their likenesses in bronze. But Mr. Schaefer truly was an exceptional politician by any measure who gave this city hope when it needed it most. By erecting his statute at Harborplace the city has recognized the crucial role he played in Baltimore's rebirth as a great American city, and we happily allow the honor should all be his.
Comments
There is no doubt that Mayor Schaefer (he will always be remembered as "mayor") deserves a statue at the Inner Harbor. But I don't recall Hampden ever being so bad that people were afraid to walk the streets after dark. It was always a fairly solid neighborhood as far as I can remember. Sure, it wasn't trendy, but what in Baltimore was before Schaefer became mayor?
Posted by: Sean Tully | November 4, 2009 1:11 PM
William Donald Schaefer is a classic curmudgeon and eccentric. He lived and breathed the city of Baltimore. An exasperating and exacting man, intolerant, impatient, blunt and confrontational he was also endearing, engaging and funny. Politics may be about perception and image, and many may take for granted that politicians are phonies but Schaefer broke the mold. He was one of a kind; he wore his heart on his sleeve and told it like he saw it. Whenever he hit the headlines, you could be fairly certain, he would be the main player in an interesting or intensely controversial story. A statue is small homage to that kind of uniquely flavored character.
UN at the table
Posted by: UN at the table | November 4, 2009 4:48 PM
Surely, the monument to William Donald Schaefer is a tribute to the city's best booster over the last four decades. As Baltimore's Mayor and then as Maryland's Governor, he fought for all of Maryland's citizens, their neighborhoods, their families. And I do love the blog about Schaefer by "UN at the table." Well said!
Posted by: RH from FL | November 5, 2009 7:07 AM
Thanks for all you have done for Maryland Mr Schaefer. We have not seen anyone in MD politics with your love of the state being put BEFORE the love of party.
Posted by: Fed Up | November 5, 2009 3:57 PM