A statue of former Mayor Orville Hubbard, which was moved from City Hall Park to the grounds of the Dearborn Historical Museum’s McFadden Ross House, was surreptitiously draped with a Black Lives Matter T-shirt in June 2020, shortly before the statue was permanently removed.
Byrnes: Image at Hubbard Manor West is harmful and hurtful
By SUE SUCHYTA
Times-Herald Newspapers
DEARBORN – The portrait of former Mayor Orville Hubbard, once on display at the Hubbard Manor West senior high-rise, will be gifted to his family, following a Feb. 8 City Council resolution.
The portrait, which was removed from the lobby for safekeeping during recent renovations, is of nominal monetary value.
A signed and date receipt of transfer will be requested from the family member or representative receiving the portrait.
City Attorney Jeremy Romer said his research indicates that the portrait is city property, so “gifting” is the proper wording, as opposed to “returning.”
City Councilmember Erin Byrnes said several residents from Hubbard Manor West had reached out to her expressing concern about the portrait, so she worked with them, as well as with members of the previous city administration, to facilitate the removal of Hubbard’s portrait from the lobby.
“Some folks felt that it was just incredibly hurtful and harmful, which I can completely understand, and I think it is very important for this item to be gifted to the family, and I will be happy to see them take it,” she said. “I think that, in its absence, the space will be far more welcoming and inclusive for all who live there, and those who visit, as well.”
Hubbard, who served as the mayor of Dearborn from 1942 to 1978, was an outspoken segregationist and a symbol of suburban resistance to racial integration.