The statue of two pelicans (far right) has gone missing from the George Bush Boulevard bridge. It had been visible to westbound travelers approaching the bridge since 1989. Google Map photo
Related: Bridge closure planned to last until July 20
By Larry Barszewski
A pair of pelicans that perched for decades atop two concrete pilings next to the George Bush Boulevard bridge — going back to the days when the road was called Northeast Eighth Street — are gone.
The pelicans, a bronze sculpture placed alongside the road and dedicated to Delray Beach in 1989, have been visible to westbound travelers approaching the boulevard’s bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway ever since — well, that is, at least until they disappeared.
While there are no plans to place a picture of the 37-year-old sculpture on the side of milk cartons under a “Have you seen me” label, some city residents would like to know what happened to the pelicans.
“Perhaps the birds were in need of a cleaning. Perhaps they were stolen in the largest public art heist in Delray Beach history,” Steve Leveen wrote to The Coastal Star, telling the newspaper that the pelicans “have apparently flown the coop” from their pilings near the bridge.
“Whatever the story, we would deeply appreciate some answers from your investigative news team,” Leveen wrote.
Bronze pelicans on the west side of the George Bush Boulevard bridge have greeted travelers for decades. They‘re gone. Photo provided
The paper picked up the gauntlet but, sad to say, couldn’t find anyone who would even acknowledge the missing pelicans belonged to them.
Police have not put out an APB — an All-Pelicans Bulletin in this case — and say they can find no record of anyone filing a complaint reporting the statue as missing.
The city, for its part, suggested contacting the Florida Department of Transportation.
“I checked with our staff. This is a county owned and maintained bridge,” responded Guillermo Canedo, FDOT’s District 4 communications manager. He directed inquiries to Palm Beach County’s bridge superintendent.
Success! Sort of. …
“The missing statue was noticed in early March. The statue belongs to city of Delray,” came the county reply from Superintendent Thomas Coppini Jr. “I believe my secretary reported it to the city in March. However, I cannot confirm as she has since retired.”
There’s a plaque on the pilings, supporting the city’s ownership. It says: “Presented to the Town of Delray Beach in memory of William L. and Beth Newcome Christenson, who made these roads possible.” The plaque mentions the bronze statue was donated by the couple’s son and daughter-in-law, Dr. and Mrs. William Newcome Christenson, and sculpted by Edward R. Grove.
The written tribute notwithstanding, Delray Beach officials say the bridge “and presumably the pelicans” belong to the county.
“The city has no permits for or records of installation for the statue, and we also do not maintain or repair the work,” city spokeswoman Gina Carter said in an email. “I’m sorry this isn’t more helpful, but I’m afraid your hunt may have to continue.”
Enter Kayleigh Howald, archivist for the Delray Beach Historical Society, who scoured her files and came up with a short 1989 Palm Beach Post story about the statue’s unveiling, along with William L. Christenson’s 1961 obituary in the Delray Beach News Journal.
The senior Christenson, it turns out, “owned considerable property” along the east side of the Intracoastal in the area and earlier was a key player in putting together the land that would become the town of Gulf Stream. The obituary said his “long-time hope” was the bridge's construction, “and towards that end he donated to the county approximately 970 feet of road right-of-way east of the Waterway.”
In the 1989 story, his son told the paper that his parents once had a dock within a few hundred yards of where the statue was placed. The son said his parents were fond of the ever-present pelicans, regularly feeding them stale bread. They even named their street a block north of the bridge Pelican Lane — the street’s homes split between Delray Beach and Gulf Stream — to honor the waterbirds (the name stuck).
Former City Commissioner Mary McCarty, who was in office at the time, remembers attending the pelican statue’s unveiling, “but I don’t remember anything other than it was unveiled as a gift to the city.”
Her take: “If the city doesn’t know anything about it, then it must have been stolen and it is probably anybody’s guess as to when that even happened.”
The pelicans weren’t known to be snowbirds, so it is unlikely that the statue is just gone for the summer.
The Christensons lived at the home on the Intracoastal where Pelican Lane dead-ends, said Tom Murphy, who lives in the neighborhood and dabbles in the history of the area. He said the Christensons could see the bridge — which was built in 1949 — from their dock.
“They could look right at the bridge,” Murphy said. “There used to be an Australian pine near there where the pelicans would roost at night.”
Grove, the artist whose résumé included being a sculptor engraver for the U.S. Mint, had previously sculpted the golden Bicentennial Eagle on Royal Poinciana Way at the entrance to the town of Palm Beach. Unlike the pelicans, the eagle has not disappeared (The Coastal Star checked).
Anyone with information about the whereabouts of the pelicans is not being asked to contact anyone (at least not yet) — and there is no reward being offered — but please do leave a message with larry@thecoastalstar.com.
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