King of Kensington memorial needs TLC
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The King of Kensington is looking shopworn.
A statue of late, great Canadian actor Al Waxman in Bellevue Square Park seems neglected, and people in this city want to know why.
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The bronze likeness of Waxman, created by noted sculptor Ruth Abernethy, was placed in the Kensington Market green space in the summer of 2001, about six months after Waxman’s death.
The memorial statue was commissioned by a group that includes the merchants of Kensington Market (led by Tom Mihalik of Tom’s Place,) local politicians and generous individuals. It honours Waxman’s contribution to the arts and to charitable causes in this country.
The TV show that made Waxman a star — King of Kensington — also put the Toronto neighbourhood on the map, making Kensington the obvious place for the memorial statue.
But there are issues.
Bellevue Square Park has just been extensively ’revitalized’ with a new washroom pavilion, a children’s playground, new splash pad and landscaping, and more.
But so far, nothing has been done to the corner devoted to Waxman, and it’s looking rough.
The statue is often vandalized, which is one problem.
A worse issue is the concrete square on which the memorial stands. According to the actor’s son, Adam Waxman, the concrete has deteriorated and shifted, and now water pools on the surface. In summer, it’s a mess. In winter, the pooled water freezes, causing people to slip and fall down.
Likewise, a memorial plaque sitting in the centre of the concrete square has become a danger. It’s begun to buckle, and people trip over it.
Says Adam Waxman, “this cultural memorial is now both an eyesore and a hazard. It’s an embarrassment.”
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Besides fixing the concrete, Waxman wants the memorial plaque moved to higher ground — a post or similar.
According to a letter from Councillor Joe Cressy’s office, that will be expensive, but will be made a priority in the five-year Conservation Plan currently being worked on.
So … sometime in the next five years?
Asked for comment on the statue, Councillor Cressy sys his office is all over the situation, and he understands the family’s dismay.
“I share their frustration. For the King of Kensington to have a memorial in this state of disrepair is unacceptable. It will be fixed. Al Waxman and his family deserve no less.”
The Monuments Conservation team will be around in late August to wash Waxman’s statue and give it a hot wax coating, Cressy explains.
At that time, the separating pavers (i.e., the deteriorating cement square) will be addressed as well.
According to Cressy, the refurbishment of the park is not yet complete. On the east side, two things are yet to be finished: a new wooden seating and stage area, and the Waxman memorial.
Both, he says, are to be completed later this month.
Adam Waxman remains unconvinced.
Waxman doesn’t doubt Cressy’s sincerity.
“But enough talk. I’d like to see some concrete implementation,” he says.
“The park has just had a huge official reopening. Why wouldn’t they have had the statue cleaned up before that?
That’s just one example of how this is not a priority.”
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