GPS City GuideSacramentoStatue of Thomas Starr King

Stop 2 of 31 · Sacramento audio walking tour

Statue of Thomas Starr King

Capitol Park · 1931 · Placed in National Statuary Hall

What you'll hear here: about a minute on Statue of Thomas Starr King — the story behind what you're looking at, playing hands-free as you arrive.

Haig Patigian sculpted the statue of the American minister Thomas Starr King that you see here in the grounds of the California State Capitol. For decades this likeness represented California in Washington: it was one of two statues from 1931 until 2009 in the National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol. In 2006 the California State Legislature approved a joint resolution to replace King's statue with one of Ronald Reagan.

That resolution was authored by Republican State Senator Dennis Hollingsworth, who said, "To be honest with you, I wasn't sure who Thomas Starr King was, and I think there's probably a lot of Californians like me. As a result, King's statue was removed from Statuary Hall and Ronald Reagan's statue was unveiled in the United States Capitol rotunda on June 3, 2009. King's statue returned to Sacramento later that year: it was reinstalled within the Civil War Memorial Grove in Capitol Park and formally dedicated in a ceremony held on December 8, 2009.

Notice the Civil War Memorial Grove where King's statue was reinstalled and dedicated on December 8, 2009.

Where it is

Coordinates
38.5765, -121.4915
Area
Capitol Park
Era
1931 · Placed in National Statuary Hall
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Three stops free. No account needed. The audio plays itself as you walk.