Statue of Hope care costs increase, funding source sought

The Statue of Hope, originally a drinking fountain, sits next to the Bancroft Memorial Library. Photo source: www.bancroftmemoriallibrary.org
Statue made of same marble as Michelangelo’s ‘David’ and ‘Pieta’
By Theresa Knapp
Every year, the Statue of Hope is covered in the fall to protect its Carrara marble from the sometimes harsh New England winters. It is then uncovered in the spring for the community to enjoy.
According to the library’s website, “The Statue of Hope was a gift from Susan Preston Draper to the Town of Hopedale in 1904. The statue includes a fountain and was originally used as a drinking fountain until the State Board of Health outlawed shared drinking glasses [1912]. The Statue of Hope Fountain was sculpted by Waldo Story in Rome from Carrara marble which was quarried in Italy.” Susan Preston Draper (1853-1919) was the wife of General William F. Draper (1842-1910), Ambassador to Italy.
The white Carrara marble is from Carrara, Italy, and has been used by sculptors for centuries; it was a favorite of Michelangelo who used it for his statues of ‘Pieta’ (1499) and ‘David’ (1504). The Pantheon in Rome and the Column of Trajan are both made from Carrara marble.
Hopedale’s Statue of Hope sits beside the Bancroft Memorial Library, which has been overseeing its cleaning and maintenance since the gift was accepted by Town Meeting on Nov. 8, 1904. Also at that time, the Trustees of the Library were assigned charge and care of the statue.
Since the 1970s, the town has included funds for the statue in the library’s budget. For FY25, $6,000 was allocated but the annual cost increased to $7,500 and the balance was paid with ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act of 2021) funds.
Bancroft Memorial Library Director Keely Bethel-Penny says the ARPA funds are no longer available and the statue is also overdue for a cleaning (it was last cleaned in 2022), which will cost approximately $3,000. It underwent a major restoration in 2000 after it had been neglected for many years.
“The bottom line is that the Library is now responsible for over $10,000 each year to cover and clean the statue, and that doesn’t account for repointing/mortar repair work that is required as well,” said Bethel-Penny. “The Library Trustees, with the help of our Town Administrator Mitchell Ruscitti, will be researching funding opportunities. In a perfect world, we would love to have an attractive, permanent solution in place that would keep the Statue protected year-round.”
The granite marker beside the Statue of Hope Fountain says “…it was considered to be the finest drinking fountain in the United States and was said to be the only piece of Story’s work in a public setting in America.”