ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The Bridge of Lions, known for more than 85 years for the two lion statues poised at the bridge's western approach, is about to get a new pair of lion statues --this time for the east side.
Davis Shores residents Wolfgang and Miki Schau are donating to the city two lion statutes that will grace Davis Park, the small park at the eastern end of the bridge and a formal entrance to Davis Shores.
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The Schaus commissioned the lions earlier this year and have been working with a local team to produce the statues.
The dedication ceremony is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday in Davis Park, at the intersection of North St. Augustine Boulevard and Anastasia Boulevard. The public is invited to come and welcome this newest addition to the city's public art and to take part in other activities planned for Anastasia Boulevard.
Following the dedication, the Davis Shores community will host a neighborhood gathering to celebrate the new additions.
The gift represents the single largest private donation to the city of St. Augustine for its 450th Commemoration. The city in the public sector has contributed projects to the 450th including the Bayfront improvements of the seawall, the breakwater and face dock at the St. Augustine Municipal Marina to accommodate tall ships, the renovation of Hypolita, Spanish and Treasury Streets as pedestrian corridors, and the redesign of Aviles Street in the brand of the Nation's Oldest Street.
"The 450th Commemoration has always been about the community coming together and celebrating who we are in different ways, large and small," said City Manager John Regan. "Wolfgang and Miki have contributed an iconic monument to St. Augustine that will become a lasting legacy for centuries."
Former St. Augustine mayor and medical doctor, Dr. Andrew Anderson commissioned Italian sculptor F. Romanelli to create the original marble lions in 1927, which Anderson donated to the city. Romanelli sculpted the lions based on a pair of centuries-old statues at the Loggia del Lanzi in Florence.
The Schaus had their lion statues made in similar design and style.