In October 1954, Boston College received a large gold-leafed, bronze statue of an eagle from the estate of a former American ambassador to Japan, Lars Anderson. The sculpture, cast in Japan, was originally part of the Ambassador's Residence in Tokyo. It was brought to the United States and for many years adorned Anderson's Japanese garden in Brookline, Massachusetts. With Rev. Thomas M. Herlihy, S.J. (Pastor of St. Ignatius Parish) acting as an intermediary, the statue was donated to Boston College. For three years, as pictured here, the statue was in front of the Alumni Hall (demolished in 1988 to make room for Voute and Gabelli Halls).

In 1957, Boston College received the column and base of the Admiral George Dewey Memorial from the city of Boston. The memorial had stood in front of South Station in Dewey Square and was taken down to make way for the Central Artery project. The column was placed in front of Gasson Hall, at the end of Linden Lane, and the eagle sculpture was mounted on the top. The prominent placement of the statue was clear evidence of the eagle's importance to the identity of the university.

The base of the Dewey Memorial is crafted out of pink granite and is located in the center of the quad that is formed by Lyons, Gasson, Devlin and Fulton Halls. It consists of the sculpted prows of four ships each traveling in one of four different directions. As if made deliberately for Boston College, a carved eagle is on the edge of each ship's prow. A student is pictured here sitting on the base.

A photograph of the eagle on the 30 foot-tall, marble pillar at the end of Linden Lane.

In 1993, the original bronze sculpture was replaced with an exact replica. Due to the harsh New England winters, the original had begun to crack and could not withstand the natural elements for much longer. The work was done by Skylight Studios (Woburn, Massachusetts), a firm that has handled restoration projects for the Museum of Fine Arts. The firm first made cosmetic repairs to the original, then created a mold and finally cast a replica. This photograph shows Tom Cipolla cleaning the sculpture as he created a mold of it. Like the original, the identical replica stands four feet high and has a six-foot wing span.

Photograph by Gary Gilbert, Office of Marketing Communications

Today the eagle sculpture in front of Gasson Hall is one of the most photographed locations on Boston College's campus. It has become almost a rite of passage for proud parents to take photographs of newly admitted students or graduating seniors in front of the statue, with Gasson Hall in the background.

Photograph courtesy of Office of Marketing Communications, Boston College