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Historic Preservation Commission approves removal of 'Early Days' sculptural group from Pioneer Monument with plaque requirement
Summary
The commission voted unanimously to approve a Certificate of Appropriateness to remove the 'Early Days' sculptural group from the Pioneer Monument in the Civic Center landmark district, adding a condition that interpretive signage or a plaque explain why the sculpture was removed and that conservation documentation be filed with the planning department.
The San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission voted Feb. 21 to approve the removal of the "Early Days" sculptural grouping from the Pioneer Monument at Fulton Street in the Civic Center landmark district, with conditions requiring documentation of removal and a plaque or interpretive material explaining the action.
Elisha Tuffy, planning staff, told commissioners the Early Days figure is a contributing element of the monument and that the Arts Commission—acting as project sponsor—had asked staff to consider removal following renewed public requests after national monument debates in 2017. "Staff has reviewed the proposal to remove the early days sculpture and patch the granite base ... and finds the alteration to the monument is reversible in nature, maintains the character‑defining features of the district, and will not affect the overall integrity of the Civic Center landmark district," Tuffy said.
Lisonbee Cummings of the Arts Commission summarized the Arts Commission process, noting that on Oct. 2, 2017 the Arts Commission voted unanimously to initiate review under the civic art collection guidelines and that staff planned to conserve the removed sculpture, cremate (pack) it for long‑term secure storage by qualified conservation professionals, and forward documentation of the removal and conservation to the planning department administrative record.
Several members of the public urged removal. "Please consider removing this offensive public art," said Randy Burns, speaking as a Native American activist. Other speakers, including Malika Clark and Marie Villanwara, described the sculpture as perpetuating racist stereotypes and urged museum placement with explanatory material. Michael Levin, a longtime resident and city history activist, said he had changed his view after hearing testimony and supported removal if the piece were conserved and displayed with contextual explanation.
Commissioners debated the action against Secretary of the Interior standards for historic rehabilitation and the planning code. Some officials cautioned that removing a contributing feature risks losing a public teaching moment; others said removal could be consistent with standards when considered at the district level. Several commissioners pressed the Arts Commission to provide public interpretation. Commissioner Jonck moved the staff recommendation and accepted a friendly amendment from Commissioner Hyland requiring a plaque detailing why the sculpture was removed. The commission voted 6–0 to approve the Certificate of Appropriateness with conditions.
The action is procedural: the Historic Preservation Commission’s approval moves the matter back to the Arts Commission for its final resolution and requires that conservation records, photographs and granite‑repair specifications be placed in the administrative record.
