Steven Foster Statue

This tribute to Pittsburgh-born songwriter Stephen Foster stands beside Carnegie Music Hall, near the Forbes Avenue entrance to Schenley Plaza in Oakland.

Stephen Foster, the composer of many timeless songs, such as “My Old Kentucky Home,” “Camptown Races” and “Old Folks at Home,” was born July 4, 1826, in Lawrenceville, which was laid out by his father and later became part of Pittsburgh.

The statue of Foster that now stands beside Carnegie Music Hall near Forbes Avenue in Oakland’s Schenley Plaza began its life in 1900 in Highland Park. The Pittsburgh Press drummed up a campaign to raise money to create the sculpture, and Foster's popularity in his hometown made it an easy job.

From the pennies of school children to the checkbook of Andrew Carnegie, the people of Pittsburgh made it possible for sculptor Giuseppe Moretti to create a suitable sculptural salute.

Morrison Foster, the composer’s brother, assisted Moretti, who was determined “to have the likeness photographically exact,” a story in the Press reported.

When the work was dedicated in 1900, thousands lined up along Highland Avenue as a parade worked its way to Highland Park, where 3,000 children sang Foster's songs and his daughter unveiled the statute.

However, respect for the statue didn't last forever, as vandals took advantage of its out-of-the-way spot in Highland Park, stealing the pen and banjo several times.

The continuing vandalism caused the sculpture to be moved to its present site, which also is across the street from The University of Pittsburgh’s Stephen Foster Memorial. It was rededicated on June 29, 1944.

The statue isn’t without controversy, as some have objected to the depiction of a barefoot black man sitting below Foster, which is supposed to indicate his subservience to a white man.

Source: “Discovering Pittsburgh’s Sculpture” by Marilyn Evert and Vernon Gay, 1986, University of Pittsburgh Press