The University of Chicago Library > The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center > Finding Aids > Guide to the University of Chicago Vice President for Public Affairs Carl von Linné Monument Records 1969-1976
© 2007 University of Chicago Library
| Title: | University of Chicago. Vice President for Public Affairs. Carl von Linné Monument. Records |
|---|---|
| Dates: | 1969-1976 |
| Size: | 1 linear foot (2 boxes) |
| Repository: |
Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center |
| Abstract: | A monument to the Swedish biologist Carl von Linné stood in Lincoln Park for most of the twentieth century, but was relocated to the University of Chicago's Midway Plaisance in 1976. The relocation, negotiated between the university, the City of Chicago, and the Central Swedish Committee of the Chicago Area, coincided with the visit of Carl XVI Gustav, King of Sweden, to Chicago. The Vice-President for Public Affairs, D.J.R. Bruckner, took the lead in organizing an event to honor the King's visit with a luncheon and rededication of the monument. This collection contains a large set of photographs documenting the relocation in detail, as well as correspondence, organizational material, publications, and other material relating to the monument and the visit of the King of Sweden. |
Open for research. No restrictions.
When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: University of Chicago. Vice President for Public Affairs. Carl von Linné Monument. Records, [Box #, Folder #], Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library
A monument to the Swedish biologist Carl von Linné (1707-1778), a replica of a work by Johan Dyfverman, was given to the City of Chicago by the area's Swedish-American community in 1891. The monument stood for most of the twentieth century at the corner of Fullerton Avenue and Cannon Drive in Lincoln Park. Beginning in the fifties, Swedish-American organizations in the Chicago area began seeking out a potential new location for the monument. In 1975, George Beadle, President Emeritus of the University of Chicago, suggested that a suitable location could be found on campus. Arrangements were quickly negotiated between the university, the city, and the Central Swedish Committee of the Chicago Area. However, some in the Lincoln Park community complained that they had not been consulted or given adequate notification about the removal.
The monument was removed from Lincoln Park, cleaned and repaired, and installed on the Midway Plaisance in 1976. The relocation of the monument was timed partly to coincide with the October 1976 visit of Carl XVI Gustav, King of Sweden, to Chicago. The university's Vice-President for Public Affairs, D.J.R. Bruckner organized an event to honor the King's visit with a luncheon and rededication of the monument.
This collection was compiled by the office of the university's Vice President for Public Affairs, a position filled at the time by the journalist D.J.R. Bruckner. It contains a set of photographs that document the removal of the Linne monument from its original Lincoln Park location, the opening of a time capsule found in the base of the monument, the transfer of the monument to a local foundry for cleaning and repair, its installation on the Midway, and its unveiling at the luncheon for the King of Sweden. Most of the photographs are black and white, medium-format, and chronicle the events in minute detail; they are arranged in a chronological sequence.
The collection also contains correspondence, organizational material, publications, and other material relating to the monument and the visit of the King of Sweden. Most of the correspondence and other textual material are photocopies.
The following related resources are located in the Department of Special Collections:
http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/spcl/select.html
| Box 1 Folder 1 | Central Swedish Committee of the Chicago Area, meeting minutes, 1969 |
| Box 1 Folder 2 | Visit of King Carl XVI Gustaf, correspondence and press releases, 1975 |
| Box 1 Folder 3 | Visit of King Carl XVI Gustaf, correspondence, press releases and clippings, 1976 |
| Box 1 Folder 4 | Visit of King Carl XVI Gustaf, correspondence, program of events and speech draft, 1976 |
| Box 1 Folder 5 | Visit of King Carl XVI Gustaf, luncheon seating chart, 1976 |
| Box 1 Folder 6 | Visit of King Carl XVI Gustaf, luncheon and procession to monument, photographs, 1976 |
| Box 1 Folder 7-9 | Removal of monument from Lincoln Park, photographs, 1976 |
| Box 2 Folder 1-2 | Removal of monument from Lincoln Park, photographs, 1976 |
| Box 2 Folder 3 | Discovery and opening of time capsule, photographs, 1976 |
| Box 2 Folder 4 | Transfer of monument to foundry for cleaning and repair, photographs, 1976 |
| Box 2 Folder 5 | Preparation of concrete base on the Midway, photographs, 1976 |
| Box 2 Folder 6 | Transfer of monument from foundry to Midway, photographs, 1976 |
| Box 2 Folder 7-8 | Visit of King Carl XVI Gustaf, luncheon and unveiling of monument, photographs, 1976 |