Statue of Abe Lincoln in Portland

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The City of Phoenix does a very good job with modern public art (see: "Her Secret is Patience") but is sorely lacking in traditional public art (i.e. statues). The City has started a project to improve pedestrian amenities on 1st Street, and this idea would work in conjunction with that.

Along First Street, from Lincoln to Roosevelt, at every intersection there should be a statue of the President that street is named for (Fillmore, Pierce, Taylor, etc). Along with the statues could be display boards with information about the President, when he lived, when he was in office, his political party, some of his key accomplishments, etc.

To tie the statues into Arizona and our own history, the display boards could each have a section about "Arizona during President X's Administration". With special note being made of Presidents who had a big impact on AZ (i.e. Gadsen Purchase, making us a territory, making us a State, etc).

This project would not only beautify the City, it would tie together Downtown from Hance Park to the Warehouse district in a more visual way. It would also provide for local landmarks. Meeting a friend for First Fridays? Just say "meet me at the Teddy Roosevelt statue." The Promenade could also be visited by Elementary school field trips as they march up and down 1st Street to learn about the different Presidents represented there.