‘A Friend’ statue restored out front of police headquarters

“A Friend” statue by Credit: D.C. memorials

A Friend returned to the Philadelphia Police Department’s Center City headquarters.

The iconic “A Friend” statue, originally installed in 1977, was restored to its pedestal outside police headquarters at Race and Arch Streets.

The statue was taken down to undergo a restoration, funded by The Kal and Lucille Rudman Foundation,to halt the deterioration of the bronze.

The bronze sculpture, built by artist Charles Cropper Parks, depicts a standing uniformed police officer holding a small child in his arms.

The sculpture was commissioned by the City of Philadelphia Percent for Art Program and was installed in 1977.

Parks, a Wilmington, Del. native, attended the University of Delaware and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

____________________

Follow Tommy Rowan on Twitter: @tommyrowan

Follow Metro Philadelphia on Twitter: @metrophilly

Follow Metro Philadelphia on Facebook: Metro Philadelphia