The Independent Man is seen in the statue’s temporary home in the Rhode Island State House lobby in June 2024. (Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
If you haven’t glimpsed the Independent Man up close, now’s the time.
A year after being taken down last December, the iconic, shiny figure will return to its perch high above the city of Providence, Gov. Dan McKee’s office announced Wednesday.
Visitors have until Dec. 9 to see the golden-skinned figure up in person before he departs for his long-awaited return to the State House cupola. Weather permitting, the lift is scheduled to occur between Dec. 12 and 20, with the final date to be announced soon.
“I am happy that the Independent Man will be back home for the holidays this year,” McKee said in a statement. “For the past six months, the lobby of the State House has been filled with visitors impressed by the newly gilded and skillfully crafted Independent Man statue, and I encourage any Rhode Islanders who have not yet had the opportunity to see him in person to do so before he journeys back to the top of the State House.”
According to the governor’s office, September’s Hurricane Helene delayed marble shipments and pushed back the repair timeline. The marble was needed to fix a crack in the Independent Man’s perch, spotted last fall by drones as part of a larger State House cleaning project.
The crack prompted the state to remove the 11-foot statue and repair its support to preempt potential damage to either during hurricane season. It was the first time since 1975 that the Independent Man touched the ground — and only the second time the statue left its usual haunt since being installed in 1899. Even being struck with lightning in 1927 did not stop the Independent Man from his duties: A repair crew met him atop the dome.
“Our Rhode Island man is an awesome sight closeup,” wrote the Providence Journal’s James V. Bruno in 1975. “He has a neat profile and his lips could be described as ‘purposeful.’”
While the podium needed repair, the Independent Man was in good shape and undamaged. Nevertheless, being earthbound gave the Independent Man an opportunity for a makeover. While engineers worked to replace the aging marble support, the golden statue was treated to a new coat of metallic leaf and small tweaks to its electroplated surface by conservationist Mark Rabinowitz.
Rabinowitz’s conservation efforts began in January and wrapped up in April. The Independent Man began to occupy the northern lobby of the State House’s ground level shortly after, standing across from the security checkpoint and watching lawmakers, state employees and citizens come and go through the heavy wooden doors.
The statue’s marble base had a tougher go. Like the majority of the State House building, the Independent Man’s base is made of Georgian marble, a vogue option at the time the building was constructed in the 1890s. But sourcing the luxurious white stone was easier said than done, as according to McKee’s office, September’s Hurricane Helene delayed marble shipments and pushed back the repair timeline.
Time away from the roost also gave the Rhode Island State Police a chance to reweigh the Independent Man, which has been variously cited from 500 pounds to 900 pounds over the years. The Commercial Enforcement Unit typically weighs heavy trucks and vehicles and was tasked with weighing the statue, according to a Jan. 21 Facebook post by the State Police.
Officers gave the Independent Man’s weight as 1,400 pounds.
“But it’s all muscle,” wrote one commenter.
The Independent Man will need strong quads going forward. Once reinstalled, the statue will be briefly hidden behind scaffolding for finishing touches, before reemerging to resume watch over the city.
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