San Francisco Installs New Bronze Bust Honoring Late Mayor Ed Lee at City Hall

SAN FRANCISCO, December 19, 2025 – The San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC), in partnership with the Rose Pak Community Fund, the Lee family, the Mayor’s Office, and the City Administrator, announces the completed installation of a new bronze bust honoring the late Mayor Edwin M. Lee, the 43rd Mayor of San Francisco and the first Asian American to hold the office, which was unveiled at City Hall on December 12, 2025. 

Created by Bay Area artists Jonah Hendrickson and Deborah Samia, the commemorative sculpture now stands prominently in San Francisco City Hall and reflects Mayor Lee’s decades of public service, his commitment to equity, and his belief in expanding opportunity for every resident. 

Through this work, SFAC is supporting more inclusive and representative approaches to commemoration that acknowledge both the past and the evolving values of the city. The artwork replaces the bust of former Mayor James D. Phelan, whose advocacy for exclusionary and racist policies caused direct harm to communities of color in San Francisco. The removal of the Phelan bust follows recently revised Arts Commission guidelines that allow for the removal of artworks that “uphold the tenets of white supremacy, patriarchy, and colonialism.” The Phelan bust has been placed in secure fine arts storage. 

“While Ed Lee was a champion, friend and inspiration to the Asian American community throughout the Bay Area and beyond, we should not overlook the fact that Ed Lee was a dedicated civil servant who gave of himself to all San Franciscans, of all backgrounds and walks of life, for more than three decades,” said Mayor Lurie. 

The inscription accompanying the sculpture features one of Mayor Lee’s guiding principles: 

“There is no limit to the success and potential of this extraordinary city if we keep the door of opportunity open to every San Franciscan.” 
Edwin M. Lee, Mayor of San Francisco, 2011 to 2017 

Community leaders, friends, and former colleagues of Mayor Lee collectively raised funds to gift the bust to the City and County of San Francisco. The Rose Pak Community Fund served as the fiscal sponsor. This action aligns with broader efforts across the city to reevaluate how public monuments represent community values and historical truth. In recent years, institutions including the University of San Francisco, the San Francisco Foundation, and the City through the renaming of Phelan Avenue to Frida Kahlo Way have removed honors associated with Phelan because of his support for racist, xenophobic and anti-immigrant policies. 

The bronze bust, which is approximately 28 inches tall and 28 inches wide, is paired with a limestone plaque installed on the existing pedestal. The project’s total budget is $124,000, which includes all costs associated with the removal of the Phelan bust; fabrication and installation of the Lee bust and plaque; and a $2,000 maintenance endowment for ongoing care. This work aligns with the San Francisco Arts Commission’s Shaping Legacy project, supported by a Mellon Foundation grant, which critically examines monuments and memorials in the Civic Art Collection while exploring more inclusive approaches to how the City commemorates its history. As part of the Shaping Legacy framework, the project reflects a values-based approach to stewardship, ensuring that changes to the monuments and memorials in the Civic Art Collection are carefully reviewed, publicly accountable, and historically grounded. 

“Mayor Ed Lee’s legacy is one of humility, service, and an unwavering belief in the limitless potential of San Francisco. As San Francisco’s first Chinese American Mayor, he opened doors for countless San Franciscans, and it is fitting that his likeness now greets and welcomes visitors to City Hall,” said Ralph Remington, Director of Cultural Affairs. “The Arts Commission is honored to help bring this commemorative bust to City Hall, working closely with the Rose Pak Community Fund, the Lee family, and our City partners to ensure this project was completed with the respect it deserves. This artwork stands as a testament to Mayor Lee’s historic leadership and to our ongoing commitment to presenting public artworks that reflect the values of inclusion and opportunity for every San Franciscan.” 

Installation of the artwork was carried out in collaboration with San Francisco City Hall and the General Services Administration, the Mayor’s Office, and the City Administrator. The project reflects Mayor Lee’s enduring impact as a civil rights attorney, a community advocate and a public servant whose leadership helped shape modern San Francisco.

Mayor Lee’s legacy also reaches far beyond City Hall. The International Terminal at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), where he launched a $5.7 billion capital improvement program, is named in his honor as the Mayor Edwin M. Lee International Terminal. In addition, the Terminal includes a commemorative plaque dedicated to Mayor Lee, created by Antonio Tobias Mendez, that was commissioned by the San Francisco Arts Commission and is owned by SFO. Together, these tributes acknowledge his pivotal role in guiding major infrastructure and civic projects that strengthened the region and its future. 

Mayor Lee is survived by his wife, Anita, and daughters, Tania and Brianna, along with his mother, Pansy, and a large extended family. 

Artists Jonah Hendrickson and Deborah Samia, who are widely known for their figurative bronze work grounded in realism and community storytelling, created the sculpture to honor Mayor Lee’s life and legacy. The artists designed the sculpture to convey Mayor Lee’s warmth, humility and dedication to public service. 

“It was important the artwork honor Lee’s dedication to public service, equity, and opportunity, while portraying his warmth, humility, and candor” said Jonah Hendrickson. “The sculpture feels at home in City Hall and is a tribute to Lee’s leadership and lasting impact on San Francisco.” 

Through this installation, Mayor Lee’s likeness and ideals continue to welcome visitors to the heart of San Francisco’s civic life, while contributing to an ongoing public conversation about memory, representation, and the future of the City’s monuments. 

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About the San Francisco Arts Commission 
The San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) is the City agency that champions the arts as essential to daily life by investing in a vibrant arts community, enlivening the urban environment, and shaping innovative cultural policy. SFAC programs include the Civic Art Collection, Civic Design Review, Community Investments, Public Art, SFAC Galleries, and Art Vendor Licensing. Learn more at sfartscommission.org. 

About Shaping Legacy 
Shaping Legacy, a project funded by the Mellon Foundation, is a multi-year commitment to critically examine the monuments and memorials in San Francisco’s Civic Art Collection. This project has produced an Audit report of the 105 monuments and memorials in the Civic Art Collection, engages communities that have historically been excluded from discussions, creates opportunities for artist-led activations in public space, and supports temporary installations that reimagine future monuments and memorials in our city.​