A bronze bust of former Councilman Harold A. Henry is missing from a park that bears his name on Lucerne Boulevard.  (photo courtesy of Julie Stromberg)

Authorities are investigating the theft of a bronze bust of former Los Angeles City Councilman Harold A. Henry from a park that bears his name at 890 S. Lucerne Blvd. in the Windsor Village community.

The Los Angele Police Department’s Wilshire Division said it received an online report about the theft on April 11 from a gardener-caretaker who arrived in the morning and noticed it missing. Park-users believe it was stolen overnight, possibly on April 9. A bare concrete pedestal remains where it was located.

“This is something I always worried about,” said Julie Stromberg, a Brookside resident and former chair of Friends of Harold A. Henry Park. “It’s not just a statue. It is something of historic value and significance to the community. To have it stolen is awful.”

Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Wilshire Division are searching for clues. The stolen bust is valued at $4,000.

“At this time, we have no leads,” Lt. Mark Ro said.

Thefts of copper and bronze statues are becoming more common in city parks, as well as other locations throughout the city, police said. Thieves steal items made of copper and bronze to sell as scrap metal. Authorities are checking scrap yards and are using investigative tools in an attempt to locate the stolen bust. It had been in the 1.6-acre park, which is located just north of Olympic Boulevard, since the park’s dedication in 1966.

The Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs oversees statues and artwork in public parks, and is also looking into the theft with the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks.

“It is greatly disturbing to see the significant increase in theft of bronze sculptures and plaques in recent months across the city. Many of these sculptures and plaques were gifts to the city and are part of the cultural and historic landscape of Los Angeles,” said Daniel Tarica, general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs. “These gifts are irreplaceable. We are working with our city partners to recover the stolen objects and are taking active measures to prevent any more thefts from occurring to safeguard the city’s artwork.”

“Stealing a bust from a public park is totally unacceptable,” added Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky, 5th District. “My office is working with LAPD to make sure whoever committed this crime is held accountable, and will make sure that the statue is restored.”

Henry represented the 4th District on the City Council from 1945-66, serving as council president from 1947-53. He published the Wilshire Press from 1925-61 and was a longtime resident of Lucerne Boulevard. Stromberg said the park was created after Henry brokered a deal with developers in the early 1960s. The park was formerly in the 4th Council District, but is now located in the 5th District.

Friends of Harold A. Henry Park worked with the city on a renovation project at the site in 2014 when Stromberg served as chair of the organization. She said the park is used by people from many different neighborhoods because there are few greenspaces in the area. A bronze plaque was once affixed to the pedestal supporting the bust of Henry, but it too was stolen years ago, she added.

John Roggenkamp, who visited the park on April 11, was surprised to learn the bust was missing.

“I think it’s a really selfish thing, a theft of something that belongs to the community,” Roggenkamp said. “This is something that belongs to all of us. There are a lot of people who call this park home and are going to be very upset.”

“I’ve heard there has been a lot of theft going on. It’s terrible,” added John Walker, a Pico-Fairfax District resident who also frequents the park. “It must have happened at night, because there are people here all the time. I hope they find who did it and get it back.”

Leo Daube, a spokesman for Yaroslavsky, said the council member is working with the LAPD, Department of Recreation and Parks and Department of Cultural Affairs as the investigation continues. He added that conversations have begun about how the bust would potentially be replaced if it is not found, but nothing yet has been decided.

A concrete pedestal remains where the bust was located in Harold A. Henry Park. (photo by Edwin Folven )