Answer Man Catches Up With Doyens of Public Art

Your column often speaks to area monuments. One of the most authoritative books on that subject is a 1974 volume by James M. Goode titled "The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, D.C." About five years ago I read that a local writer named Alex Padro was putting the finishing touches on a soon-to-be-released book called "Washington's Monuments: The Memorials of the Nation's Capital." Whatever happened to this project?

-- Steve York, Springfield

It's another case of politics getting in the way of a promising career.

Alex Padro started his cataloguing project 10 years ago but had to put it aside after being elected advisory neighborhood commissioner for the Shaw neighborhood in 2000. Now he's also director of Shaw Main Streets, a nonprofit group involved in revitalizing the Seventh and Ninth streets NW commercial corridors.

James Goode's book has long been the bible of local public art -- Answer Man's copy is well thumbed -- but Alex decided it didn't cover a lot of what he was interested in: the many commemorative plaques that dot the city, both out in the fresh air and tucked away in building lobbies.

"These are things that people don't know are there or walk by in a hurry and don't take time to look and read the inscription," he said.

Alex has a 1,500-page manuscript, but publishing plans are on hold. "One of these days, when more of the community issues are well underway, I'll be able to devote more time to concluding that publishing project," he said. He hopes that will be within the next two years.

Meanwhile, Answer Man has some good news: In November, Goode turned in the manuscript for the second edition of his landmark book. Johns Hopkins University Press will publish it next year.

James estimates that the number of sculptures in the Washington area has doubled since the first edition came out three decades ago.

"It's been exciting to discover all the new ones," he said -- sculptures such as Emiliano Zapata in front of the Mexican Cultural Institute and Mahatma Gandhi near the Indian Embassy. He's been working on the new version for the past three years.