Bronze Statue of Horace Mann in Boston

The bronze sculpture of Horace Mann by Emma Stebbins is installed outside the Massachusetts State House in Boston, Massachusetts. Designed in 1863 and cast in 1865, the sculpture depicts Mann holding a book and rests on a granite base. The artwork was surveyed as part of the Smithsonian Institution's "Save Outdoor Sculpture!" program in 1997.

Following the September 11 attacks in 2001, police closed the gates to the State House lawn. This action cut off public access to several statues, including the one of Mann. These statues remain visible from a distance from the Beacon Street sidewalk through a fence. Only the equestrian statue of Joseph Hooker and the statue of Mary Dyer remain open to close public inspection because they are located in the pedestrian plaza of the building's main public entrance.

In 2006, Susan Greendyke Lachevre, art collections manager for the Massachusetts Art Commission at the State House, commented that while she did not question security measures, it was a shame the public could not get any closer to the monuments. While public access to the Kennedy statue was restored in 2015 for visitors after security checkpoints, visitors are still not allowed full access to the State House lawn and the other statues.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons