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There’s been a gaping hole in the area bordering Wallingford to the east, along the Ship Canal, and in many hearts around the neighborhood and beyond. Two years ago, someone stole the small bronze statue of Sadako that stood in the Seattle Peace Park. It was a wonderfully calming sight to see, as you momentarily were transported away from the frenzied chaos of trying to pull onto the University Bridge. Usually, Sadako was decorated with brightly-colored strings of origami cranes. The fact that someone would be morally corrupt enough to steal such a poignant symbol of peace is an apt metaphor for the years that would follow, right up to the present day and, sadly, beyond.

Original statue of Sadako in the Peace Park. (Photo credit NY Times)

Remains of the original statue. (Photo credit: Sadako Renewal Project)

There is a movement underfoot, as they say, to restore the statue, and this makes me happier during these times. It is called the Sadako Renewal Project and is sponsored by the Beacon Hill Neighborhood Business Association. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the backstory:

Sadako Sasaki was two years old when the atomic bomb was dropped on her city in 1945. She survived the blast but developed leukemia years later as a result of radiation. While in the hospital, she began folding paper cranes. She was inspired by a Japanese legend that one thousand cranes could grant a wish. She folded more than a thousand. She wished for healing. She wished for peace.

She died at age twelve, but her classmates, still children themselves, carried her legacy forward. They raised money, told her story, and helped build a statue of her in Hiroshima, where she stands, high in the air, holding a crane above her head. That act of collective care became a global symbol of peace.

All that remained when the original statue by Daryl Smith was stolen were the bronze feet. These will be incorporated into a new statue, to be created by artist Saya Moriyasu. It will be modeled after a photograph of Sadako dancing in her yukata (cotton kimono). There should be plenty of room for origami cranes on her outstretched arms.

We just missed a musical fundraiser for the project, but it is a tax-deductible effort, and the cost is substantial: $300,000-$500,000. This seems like a lot of money, but it covers design, fabrication, installation, landscape architecture, and maintenance of the Peace Park. And if I were in charge: a pack of surly guard dogs. If you are inclined to support it, more information about the campaign is available.