Mt. Davidson Cross in San Francisco, California

[nimda]

Title	Mt. Davidson Cross in San Francisco, California
Type of Memorial	Commemorative Plaque, Inscription, Park, Path,
Sponsor(s)	Council of Armenian-American Organizations of Northern California & Armenian-Ame
Architect/Designer/Artist	Designed and built by George Kelham.
Placement	Freestanding sculpture in a public park with a plaque at the foot of a large concrete cross.
Physical Setting	The sculpture is on top of a mountain/hill, overlooking the city.
Tourist Amenities	Yes
Map Designation	Mt. Davidson Park
Physical Condition	Well preserved.
Inscription	"If evil of this magnitude can be ignored,if our own children forgetthen we deserve oblivionand earn the world's scorn." Avedis Aharonian (writer and educator, 1866-1948)Armenian Genocide Commemoration DayApril 24, 1998”Inscription: the Armenian language version of the poem by Avedis Aharonian, which appears on the plaque alongside the English translation by Diana Der-Hovanessian
Location	Mt. Davidson Park San Francisco, California United States
Construction Began	Early 1930s
Construction Completed	1934
Dedication Date	1934
Prior Use of Site	Mt. Davidson Park.
History of Ownership	From 1934 - 1937: owned by the city of San Francisco From 1997 – present: owned by Council of Armenian-American Organizations of Northern California.
Additional Information	Editorial Broad of Armenian Encyclopedia. The Armenian Question. Yerevan: 1996. Kidd, Kristen. "Perpetual Reminders," Armenian International Magazine (April 1999), pp. 48-50.

[Joseph]

Denialst theft and vandalism

Bronze Plaque Stolen From Mt. Davidson Cross In SF

http://www.nbc11.com/news/14230690/detail.html

Police Send Flier To Recycling Centers To Be On Lookout

POSTED: 2:31 pm PDT September 28, 2007
UPDATED: 2:59 pm PDT September 28, 2007

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- A 160-pound, 3-by-4-foot bronze plaque that sat at the foot of San Francisco's Mt. Davidson Cross has been stolen, San Francisco Police Captain Dennis O'Leary said Friday.
The giant plaque commemorated the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by the Turkish government from 1915 to 1918.
It was bolted to a concrete base.

Police discovered the memorial plaque had been taken on Sept. 23, O'Leary said.
Noting that the discovery was made on the day when Armenian-Americans were celebrating Armenian Independence Day, O'Leary said they haven't ruled out the possibility of a hate crime.

SF Police
"This is a very serious matter," said O'Leary. "We are considering all possibilities."
O'Leary said investigators were also considering the recycling value of the bronze plaque as a motive for the theft.
The department sent out a message and photos to all the metal recycling plants in the Bay Area, and an additional flier to police departments throughout California, O'Leary said.
The 103-foot Mt. Davidson Cross was built and inaugurated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1934.
In 1997, the people of San Francisco voted to approve the sale of the cross to the Council of Armenian-American Organizations of Northern California to preserve the structure as an historic landmark.
More than $1.5 million Armenians were killed by the Turkish government from 1915 to 1918.
The plaque was installed after a decade-long legal and political battle over the constitutionality of the presence of a cross in a public park.
The case was resolved when the city of San Francisco auctioned the property to private ownership.
Mt. Davidson Park and the cross have remained open to the public.