PROVIDENCE — The Independent Man, a historical landmark placed atop the Rhode Island State Building, has been taken down in order to repair the marble base underneath the statue. Governor Dan McKee announced that the statue was to be taken down, after an inspection done by state employees in July of 2023. The Independent Man was taken down December 6th, 2023, and placed inside The State Building until it was transported for repairs on January 8th. 

“The statue has weathered decades of storms, blizzards and hurricanes, and it is important that we use this opportunity to invest in the People’s House and preserve the Independent Man for generations of Rhode Islanders and visitors to enjoy.” Said Governor McKee in a press release announcing the statue’s repairs.

It has been 47 years since the statue was taken down, however previously this was done to repair the statue’s gold plating, according to WPRI’s coverage of the event in December. After the crane was used to carefully remove the statue from its base, the cracked pieces of marble will be replaced with a temporary steel base.

The East Bay Restoration & Masonry Inc. is performing the repairs on the marble base on the dome of The State Building. While RISD Alumni and principal conservator for Evergreene Architectural Arts, Mark Rabonowitz, will be overseeing the restoration of the statue. The gold leafing on the statue hasn’t been restored since the first restoration project in 1975. This operation will cost $2,241,000, which will come from the Rhode Island Capital funded Asset Protection Program (RICAP) and given the information within the press release, there is no timeline on when the statue would be returned. Currently the scaffolding from the removal of the statue is still on top of the dome, and can be seen clearly from downtown Providence, leaving a vacancy until further notice.