The Independent Man is seen in midair as the statue is lifted back onto the Rhode Island State House on Dec. 18, 2024. (Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
“I’ve been waiting for this day. I’m very emotional. This is fabulous.”
So said Providence resident Priscilla Jackon as she stood on the sidewalk outside the Rhode Island State House Wednesday morning. Jackson, with a metal cart and folding chair in tow, was one of dozens of Rhode Islanders who came to see the Independent Man return home.
It was easy to miss the moment the statue left the ground — at least if you were this reporter, who was scanning for crowd reactions and spun around to see a passing car with a dashboard littered with colorful plastic toys. The car’s driver was distracted by the sight of the Independent Man who was, apparently, no longer earthbound.
The ascent took all of five minutes. The Independent Man hovered midair before settling into its roost atop the State House’s gleaming white marble dome. Suspended from a crane and sporting a scarf for this skyward ride, the statue captivated a paparazzi watching from down below — some spectators using only their eyes, but just as many seeing the historic event through a camera viewfinder or phone app.
Workers at the top of the Rhode Island State House were still finishing the installation by the time the crowd dispersed about 20 minutes later, once scaffolding mostly obscured the Independent Man’s gold figure.
The statue’s flight was comparatively short to the time spent on the ground; the Independent Man’s sojourn lasted a little over a year. During a State House restoration project in September 2023, state officials became concerned about the statue’s supporting base after drone footage identified deficiencies in the structure. While the Independent Man was unharmed, the statue was removed in December 2023 so its base could be repaired.
The marble dome refurbishment and Independent Man’s return cost about $1,264,044, Department of Administration spokesperson Karen Greco wrote in an email Wednesday. That estimate is ahead of final invoices which will likely be submitted in early 2025.
“The vendors associated with the final leg of his journey are architectural firm DBVW and engineering firm Odeh, EverGreene Architectural Arts for final touch-ups on his restoration, and contractors ECMRI who repaired the dome, replaced the marble, and are lifting him back into place,” Greco said.
Conservators refreshed the iconic Rhode Island monument’s gold leaf while it was on the ground. After the makeover, the Independent Man had an extended stay in the lobby of the State House from May 4 through Dec. 9.
“‘I’m an independent woman,” said Jackson, who has lived in Providence for 40 years., “And this is just — We’ll never, ever, get to see this again.”
The numbers favor Jackson’s assessment that the scene was a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence — maybe twice-in-a-lifetime if you’re lucky. Since the statue was installed in 1899, it’s come down only twice. The golden man’s other descent was in 1975, for repairs as well as application of gold leaf.
“That man represents the independence of every person,” Jackson said.
While most of the crowd clung to the perimeter of the State House’s north entrance, people also gathered across the street, standing outside the state’s administrative offices. One man used a book to shield his eyes from the sun, its rays colliding with the arc of the statue’s ascent. State House employees could be glimpsed on the building’s balconies.
On the steps of the Rhode Island Department of Transportation headquarters was Kathleen L. Caswell, a photographer based in Kingston, who was armed with a tripod, a Nikon D80, and a nearly telescopic 600mm lens. Caswell said she’s documented the project at every step of the way.
Caswell said she travels often in her RV, and her usual subject matter is whatever piques her interest in her travels. She started following the Independent Man’s saga and was soon moved by the workers who have made the process possible.
“The enthusiasm of these men doing their job, and the pride that they had in that task… (I) have gotten to know most of them, and I’m totally impressed with that,” Caswell said.
By the time the Independent Man was already in place, a woman driving down Smith Street darted her eyes toward the commotion. She then pulled over, parked her SUV alongside the road, and started to take a picture. A police officer told the woman she couldn’t park there.
“Can’t really see it,” she said, hurriedly looking at her phone to examine the photo she took. “But that’s all right, I’ll get the idea.”
She got back in her car and drove off with her souvenir.
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