There are many times when the heads of families wish their children didn’t race around like wild animals, bouncing off the walls, creating noise and chaos and being mere blurs of color as they show their boundless energy. There are two local children, however, who remain perfectly well-behaved and motionless. They are quieter than mice. Quieter even, than the sound of dust falling on the furniture.
Who are these gems of childhood? What new book of child psychology has trained them to behave so well? Where do they live?
Well, as to the last question, they “live” at the North Riverside Public Library, at 2400 Desplaines Ave. And they are, indeed, still as statues, because they actually are, together, a single statue.
They sit, unmoving, uncaring about the weather, way over right of the main library entry door. They are both sitting, and reading a book. It is not about child psychology.
Have you ever noticed them? Probably you did, if you ever went to that library. But did you ever walk over to them, look over their shoulders, and take a look at the open book they are reading? It is “The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett, published in 1911 when the author was 62 years old. But this book, being bronze, is practically ageless.
The girls stay there, all day and all night. Some police officers in their patrol cars, pulling into the parking lot, after hours, have been startled to see them there, thinking, at first, that they were real children.
On Nov. 7, 1995, public approval of the $2.95 million bond sale for the new 22,000-square-foot North Riverside Public Library also made the acquisition of this sculpture possible.
Decoration for the building was considered at the outset, and in mid-September 1997, Arlene Kurzawa, Youth Services administrator, went to the Studio of Long Grove, here in Illinois, to look over the sculptures available there. She was particularly taken with the sculpture of “The Secret Garden” created by famed sculptor Mark Lundeen. This was a limited edition of only 36 to be produced, with the mold to be broken afterwards.
Kurzawa brought a photograph of the statue to the trustees for the new library, and they also were in favor of its acquisition. There was only one cautionary voice, and that was an opinion expressed by the designer of the new library, Charles R. Newman, president of Newman Architecture. In a letter to Kurzawa, dated Sept. 22, 1997, he stated that “we probably shouldn’t make any commitments toward purchase of the sculpture until we have received all of the proposals from the contractors.”
This was a sensible precaution to take, and the library board mulled it over for a few months. There were two versions of the bronze statue available: a life-size one, costing $19,500, and a “small study” at only $2,400. Number 26 of 36 was available at the Studio of Long Grove.
In late November, the library board finally decided that they did want the life-size version, and they decided it almost too late. Only three were left for sale. One was Number 34 of the 36. And, instead of the $19,500 that could have been paid two months earlier, the price was now $24,000. Two months’ delay had cost an additional $4,500. At least they saved money by having a “no tax” number.
Perhaps they were spurred into action, or maybe it was just a coincidence, that the Chicago Sun-Times featured an article on Monday, Nov. 24, 1997 about the village of Flossmoor’s identical “Secret Garden” statue, installed outside the Flossmoor Public Library. Flossmoor’s statue had been unveiled on Sunday, Oct. 26.
The very next day, on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 1997, a deposit of $12,000, half the cost, was paid to the Studio of Long Grove, with two $6,000 balances to be paid in February and May 1998.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held on April 11, 1998, with excavation beginning on April 27. The next year, projected grand opening dates came and went as delays stalled progress. The first was to be May 15, 1999. Then May 24 “at the latest.”
On June 1, the library was thrown open to patrons, but furniture delivery was slow, and other work still needed to be done. Another grand opening was scheduled for June 27, but that date came and went, too. The grand opening and dedication ended up being officially held on Aug. 1, 1999.
“The Secret Garden” statue beat even the June 1 opening, and was set up in May, having been delivered by the Studio of Long Grove. Apparently no word was heard from the sculptor, Mark Lundeen, as his name isn’t mentioned in any local articles and he didn’t sign the “Your Comments” book available for patrons’ remarks.
Lundeen, one in a family of five sculptors, was born and raised in Holdrege, Neb., graduated from the University of Nebraska, and traveled throughout Europe and the Mediterranean, becoming familiar with the works of the great masters of the past.
Since around 1989, Lundeen has worked hard at his craft, together with the rest of the family, and all of them have established their sculpting studios side by side in Loveland, Colo. His fluid lines, balance, and ability as a natural storyteller show up in all his works.
“The Secret Garden” statue, 48 inches high and 72 inches wide, has rested out front of the North Riverside Library for some seven-and-a-half years, and is still in excellent condition.
Robert Lifka, North Riverside Library director, revealed that “it is washed quarterly, in a diluted vinegar solution, to remove atmospheric and surface pollution, and then waxed, to protect the finish.”
So it looks like it’ll be around yet, for a long, long time.
Some people don’t see the statue, at first when they are going into the library, as it not exactly close to the main entrance doors. When the statue is noticed, people tend to linger, and take in the amazing lifelike quality of the girls, whose facial features suggest that they are sisters.
Immediately apparent is the girls’ clothing. The older girl, holding the book, is dressed in jumper overalls, and wearing a long-sleeved blouse, while the younger girl, sitting on her knee, is also wearing a jumper-style dress, with short sleeves and cuffs on her blouse. If you take a look around back, you will see the label on the back of the older girls’ jumper, and on this label is the sculptor’s signature, “Mark Lundeen … 34/36 … copyright 1995, Loveland Co. U.S.A.”
The sculpture has many interesting points to take note of, right down to the girls’ fingernails. The older girl has backswept hair into a ponytail, while the younger girl’s is parted in the middle, and long and loose. These are where Lundeen’s fluid lines seem most obvious. In classic “for good luck” style, the girls’ noses are already slightly brighter from much rubbing.
By the way, they are sitting on the left side of the bench, which is actually a part of the entire sculpture. This leaves the right section empty for anyone to sit next to them. From here you can peer over the smaller girl’s shoulder, and read a text page from the original “Secret Garden” book. Look on the right hand page for the illustration of a closed double gate, surrounded by flowers.
Lifka stated that “the statue is a favorite of patrons, especially of the children. During the summer it is not unusual to see a mom and her kids checking out the statue, and sitting next to it.”
Soon the winter snows will be blanketing this statue, hiding it from view. But it’s not as if the girls are going anywhere soon. If you happen to see them poking up out of the whiteness, give their faces a friendly wiping off or two, and rub their cold, cold noses for good luck. Who knows? Maybe spring will come sooner!
