ANITA MAY BALDWIN STATUE TO BE UNVEILED 10/25/2021 11:00 am AT LE MÉRIDIEN HOTEL

The Anita May Baldwin Statue at the Le Méridien Hotel will be unveiled on Monday, October 25, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. Anita is the daughter of the City's founder, Elias Jackson "Lucky" Baldwin. Famed artist Alfred Paredes, who created the Elias Jackson “Lucky” Baldwin statue on the corner of Huntington Drive and Holly Avenue, has finished sculpting his daughter Anita, where she will be featured on the opposite end of the Huntington Drive islands’ hotel property. “We are very excited to be bringing Anita back to Arcadia,” said Mayor Sho Tay. “I would like to thank the Shen, Liu and Chen Families, Jeff Lee, the Dextra Baldwin McGonagle Foundation, Heather D. Gibson and Margaux L. Gibson, and the Arcadia Historical Society, for their generous donations.” “I am honored to have the opportunity to recognize one of the founding women of Arcadia, not only for her role in the development of Arcadia but also for her charitable contributions to the San Gabriel Valley,” said Council Member April A. Verlato. “I am grateful to the City Council for unanimously supporting my motion to dedicate the artwork on this corner to the legacy of Anita Baldwin and for all the generous donations from the community that made this dream a reality.” The Anita statue was sculpted by local artist and southern California native, Alfred Paredes, and is aptly named, “A Legacy of Charity” in honor of Anita’s contributions to life in early Arcadia and throughout California. “On behalf of the Baldwin family, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the Arcadia City Council, the Arcadia Historical Society, the Le Méridien Hotel and all those who have supported this effort to pay homage to my great-great grandmother, Anita May Baldwin,” said Ms. Margaux Gibson. “This magnificent statue of Anita will showcase a strong woman who was ahead of her time. I am proud to call Anita May Baldwin my great-great grandmother, and I am truly proud to be a part of this historic project.”

The Le Méridien Hotel’s Grand Opening Celebration is also being held on October 25, 2021. For more information about the Anita Statue, please contact the City Manager’s Office at (626) 574- 5401.