[Dan in better days. Image via Cinema Treasures.org]
An interesting twist in the stolen statue case: After being stolen from Carthay Park and cut in two by thieves (who stole him for his bronze value), Dan the Miner is still being held by the police--but now it's unclear if the city actually owns him, according to Judy Moore, president of the Carthay Circle Neighborhood Association. Could there be a legal showdown over his detached legs and torso? Hope not, but lawyers are already being mentioned. Plus: The whole Carthay Circle park may be getting a facelift. All the details in Moore's email to us. She writes: "Dan is waiting to have his amputated legs re-attached. "
"Our field rep promised to make a phone call or ten and find out more about his possible release date. And the neighborhood is looking into a renovation of the park he lives in, perhaps restoring it to its original state--when there was water coming out of Dan's gold mining pan.
I've found that everything having to do with the city is a far bigger deal than it needs to be. Were it left up to us, as a group of neighbors, we would have put Dan in a comfortable garage (okay, probably a garage converted to a nice office or studio), found a sculptor who could repair him, and gotten a few buff guys to lift him onto a new rock. Voila! But no. If this goes on much longer, I may try to spring him in another way. The city didn't pay for him back in the 1920's - the developer of the neighborhood [did]. So, technically, he may not belong to the city, but rather the neighborhood. Interesting legal question, but we have our fair share of lawyers who live in the hood. "
· Latest Dan The Miner Rehabilitation News [Curbed LA]
· Dan The Statue Found! Not Melted, We Think! [Curbed LA]
Loading comments...