HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem III
PLAN COMMISSION STAFF REPORT JUNE 17, 2025
ITEM III: GEORGE WASHINGTON BUST LOCATION
Applicant/Owner: City of Oshkosh
Action(s) Requested:
The applicant requests approval to relocate a city owned statue, the George Washington Bust, to
Roe Park.
Applicable Ordinance Provisions:
Wisconsin State Statute 62.23(5)
MATTERS REFERRED TO CITY PLAN COMMISSION. The council, or other public body or
officer of the city having final authority thereon, shall refer to the city plan commission, for its
consideration and report before final action is taken by the council, public body or officer, the
following matters: The location and architectural design of any public building; the location of
any statue or other memorial.
Background Information
Community Development staff has been working with the Menominee South, River East, and
Stevens Park Neighborhood Associations, as well as the Library, Museum, Parks, and Public
Works departments to determine a new location for the George Washington Bust that was
previously located in the front yard of Washington School on Winnebago Avenue. In September
of 2024, the existing school property was sold to the City of Oshkosh and is in the process of
being redeveloped for single family homes and therefore the bust needed to be removed and
relocated.
This bust, and many other statues in Oshkosh, are part of a collection that was gifted to the City
in the early 1900’s by Colonel John Hicks and are maintained by the John Hicks Trust Fund. In
2024, Community Development, Library, and Museum staff engaged with the three
Neighborhood Associations surrounding the Washington School site to come up with a plan to
help find a new location for the bust. The outcome of those engagements was a collaborative
Great Neighborhoods Program application by the three neighborhoods asking for funds to help
with the relocation and beatification of the site once selected.
Image of George Washington Bust
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ITEM III – George Washington Bust Location – Roe Park
City staff considered many locations and, on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, three options were
presented to neighborhood representatives to vote on. The neighborhood representatives
selected Roe Park on Washington Avenue as their choice with the idea that the bust should be
located on the Washington Avenue site of the park. City staff agree and also feel Roe Park is a
good central location in the city where the Washington Bust will receive ample exposure to the
public, satisfying the original intent of the gift from Colonel John Hicks to emphasize
beautification and monumental grandeur in urban planning which can promote moral and civic
pride in urban populations.
The Great Neighborhoods Program funds that were set aside for this project will be used to
help pay for any landscaping, concrete, and any other design site features needed, to make sure
the area around the bust will be attractive public asset for years to come.
Subject Site
Existing Land Use Zoning
Park I
Adjacent Land Use and Zoning
Existing Uses Zoning
North Institutional I
South Commercial and Single Family CMU and UMU
East Institutional I-PD
West Institutional I
Recognized Neighborhood Organizations
River East
Comprehensive Plan Land Use Recommendation Land Use
2040 Land Use Recommendation Center City
FINDINGS/RECOMMENDATION/CONDITIONS
Staff recommends approval to relocate the George Washington Bust to Roe Park, as proposed.
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NORTHWESTERN AV
MADISON ST
MT VERNON ST
COURT ST
WASHINGTON AV
NORTHWESTERN AV
MADISON
ST
MT VERNON ST
COURT ST
WASHINGTON AV
CMU
I
I
I
I-PD
I-PD
TR-10
TR-10
TR-10-PD TR-10-PD
TR-10-PD
UMU
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Printing Date: 6/11/2025
1 in = 100 ft1 in = 0.02 mi¯ROE PARKZONING & AERIAL MAP
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