Palm Springs preservation board delays vote on Frank Bogert city hall statue

A decision on moving the controversial statue of a former mayor of Palm Springs outside city hall will have to wait.

Tuesday night the Palm Springs Historic Site Preservation Board delayed a vote on the Frank Bogert statue.

The board is tasked with determining if the statue plays a significant role in city hall's historic designation.

City council voted in September to start the legal process of relocating the statue; it's now up to the preservation board for the next step.

"The statue is not a character defining feature of city hall, nor does it contribute to its historic significance," said Palm Springs historic preservation officer Ken Lyon, who recommended the statue be moved. "Removal of the statue will not material impair the historically character defining features."

"It feels like there was already a decision made and (the council has) asked the staff to come up with a basis for it," said board member Stephen Rose.

The city's Human Rights Commission recommended earlier this year the statue be removed, saying it's a painful reminder for many of past racism in Palm Springs, including the 1961 evictions and destruction in Section 14.

Proponents of the status, including the group "Friends of Frank Bogert," say moving the statue discounts the former mayor's many accomplishments for the city.

"It is apparent (Bogert) did a lot for the city of Palm Springs and he is forever a part of that history, whether there's a statue in front of city hall or not," said board member Scott Miller.

Miller was the only board member to vote against continuing the discussion to the next meeting. He said the decision is simple. "I'm not seeing anything that tells me that the removal of the statue would be aversely affecting the historic resource of city hall," Miller said.

He was outnumbered in the vote 4 to 1. The discussion now continues to the board's Dec. 7 meeting. Board members requested staff to assess the statue's value as a historic resource and any impacts moving it could have.