Sculpture Destined For Civic Park Location?

A city commission has approved a plan to put a historic sculpture in Civic Park at a library entrance.

The Park, Recreation and Open Space Commission unanimously recommended the Civic Park location at its Monday night meeting. The Hand of Peace by Benny Bufano would go in the triangle at the north entrance of the downtown library on North Broadway.

In 1967, the artist, Beniamino (Benny) Bufano, installed Hand of Peace in the Quail Court Office Park, off Creekside Drive. Bufano, an Italian immigrant and a favorite sculptor of President Theodore Roosevelt, was famous in New York and later the Bay Area, where he taught at the University of California at Berkeley.

In Walnut Creek, Hand of Peace was celebrated in public art circles. In 2009, the office park owner, Westlake Realty Group, removed the sculpture for restoration. Westlake officials offered to loan the sculpture to the city for 25 years if the city could find a suitable, prominent location, according to a report by the city's Arts, Recreation and Community Services Department (see PDF attached to this article).

The next reviews for the sculpture location are the Walnut Creek Arts Commission April 16 and the City Council May 1.