Milwaukee – Milwaukee
County Supervisor  Peggy Romo West, District 12, applauds the success of the group “Restore Kosciuszko Monument Project” in raising funds and restoring the well-known and beloved statue of General Tadeusz Kosciuszko.
The grand statue and monument, affectionately called ‘the Kozy statue’ celebrates the accomplishments and victories of Thaddeus Kosciuszko, who was considered a hero during the American Revolutionary War and for his native country, Poland. “No, your eyes are not playing tricks on you,” said Supervisor Romo West of the temporary “disappearance” of the famous statue from Kosciuszko Park. “I appreciate your concern in advance, but there’s no need to call authorities; the statue is in the good hands of a conservation artist in Ohio.”
The monument pays homage to General Kosciuszko, who was a hero in the struggle for human rights in the late 1700s, after he volunteered for the cause of American independence as well as the fight for freedom in his native Poland.
Milwaukee’s early Polish settlers raised more than $13,000 (approximately $350,000 in today’s dollars) to memorialize Kosciuszko with the bronze equestrian statute, which was erected in 1905. After more than 100 years, the statue and its base now require extensive restoration, cleaning and structural work.
The Kosciuszko statue faces to the south on W. Lincoln Ave. and S. 9th Pl, and has been a proud landmark for more than 100 years.
The total cost to repair the statue is $150,000, according to Claude Krawczyk, chairman of the Restore Kosciuszko Monument Project.
On Tuesday, February 12, 2013, Kosciuszko’s 267th birthday – the monument was loaded onto a truck headed for a restoration artist’s studio in Ohio.