Declaration of Independence Statue (Isaiah Thomas)

At a glance

• What: a February 3, 2026 order asked the City Manager, in honor of the nation's 250th anniversary, to consider funding a statue of Isaiah Thomas's historic reading of the Declaration of Independence in front of City Hall.
• Where it stands: open. Update order adopted as amended on 2026-07-21 (item 12u). No report yet.
• Next: report pending.

The update request (2026-07-21)

• Morris A. Bergman asked for an update, with Tony Economou, Jose A. Rivera, Satya B. Mitra and John P. Fresolo on the original; Kathleen M. Toomey and Khrystian E. King added.
• He described the current marker as a plaque that is hard to find.
• He urged a plan in place by the end of the 250th-anniversary year so an annual reading could start next year, and suggested nonprofits or businesses might pay.

Amendment and response

• King amended the order to ask that the existing plaque be refurbished until a statue is built.
• Eric D. Batista said the Parks Department keeps a maintenance schedule for monuments subject to funding.

Status and next steps

• Update order adopted as amended on 2026-07-21 (item 12u). No report yet.

Discussion time

About 6 minutes across 1 meeting (from transcript timestamps; approximate).

Log

• 2026-07-21 - City Council — Item 12u: update order adopted as amended with King's plaque-refurbishment amendment.