City of Monroe cleaning Custer Monument

The City of Monroe's oft-debated statue of Gen. George Armstrong Custer is getting some TLC this week.

Workers from Forest Park, Illinois-based Conservation of Sculpture & Objects Studio, Inc. (CSOS) are expected to finish today a maintenance program that the 112-year-old monument undergoes every three-to-five years. They began Tuesday morning by giving the bronze statue a gentle spray cleaning to remove any loose dirt and debris. From Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday, they used a small torch to carefully heat up small areas of the statue at a time and then apply wax to restore the figure's coloring and protect it from the elements. Today, CSOS will finish up the process by buffing the wax into the statue to bring out its original sheen.

Jeffrey Green, Preservation, Planning and Cultural Resources Consultant for the City of Monroe, said that the workers also examine the monument as they are cleaning it to make sure there aren't any cracks or other damage that needs attention.

"Fortunately, although we haven't done the waxing - we kind of extended that time frame out a little bit longer than we generally like to do - (the monument) is in good shape," Green said. "They kind of look it over as they're going along, cleaning and waxing, taking a look at the condition of it to make sure everything is in good shape and there are no problems..."

Green says the cleaning project will cost just under $10,000. He said the city usually looks to recoup at least some of that bill through various grants and donations from local historical preservation groups

"...I think there's been some discussion with a couple of potential funders who said that, if we went ahead and did this this year, we could make (grant applications), so we'll be looking at that as we're kind of going along," Green said. I'll probably be talking with (City Manager) Vince Pastue about that to see if that's something he wants me to work on."

The monument was originally placed in Loranger Square in downtown Monroe until it was moved to Soldier & Sailor's Park on E. Front St. in 1923. In 1955, it was moved to its current home at the corner of W. Elm Ave. and N. Monroe St.

Local activists made several attempts over the past few years to have the structure removed, relocated, or modified in such a way that better reflects the full story of Custer’s controversial life and legacy. Other community members vehemently argued against moving or modifying the statue.

Monroe City Council debated the matter for months before opting to bring in an outside consultant to facilitate discussions with residents and, ultimately, provide the city with a recommendation on what to do with the monument. But individuals both for and against the statue's relocation criticized council for how it chose the facilitator, and the governing body opted to shelve the entire discussion indefinitely.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: City of Monroe cleaning Custer Monument