Pioneer Court Residency For Another Giant Pop Culture Sculpture Comes To An End
Pioneer Court is emptier today after crews removed Seward Johnson's monumental scale sculpture, "Return Visit," on Monday. The sculpture of Abraham Lincoln and a companion are en route to a new temporary home at the Peoria Riverfront Museum in Peoria.
The sculpture is an enlarged version of Johnson's original, life-sized sculpture near Wills House in Gettysburg and depicts Lincoln pointing to the bedroom in the Wills House where he finished writing the Gettysburg Address before delivering the speech at the dedication of The Soldiers National Cemetery on Nov. 19, 1863.
Zeller Realty Group, which manages Pioneer Court and 401 North Michigan Ave., has a long working relationship with Johnson. Previous installations included monumental scale renderings of Grant Wood's painting, "American Gothic," and Marilyn Monroe's iconic pose from the film "The Seven Year Itch." The sculptures quickly become tourists attractions. "Return Visit" had to deal with some construction dust the past year as crews built out Apple's new Michigan Avenue flagship store at 401 North Michigan. Zeller sold 401 North Michigan Ave. to Walton Street Capital in May, in a $370M deal.
