Lenin Statue
Jun 20, 2008, 10:49 AM | Updated: Mar 27, 2011, 10:23 am
A statue of Communist Revolutionary Vladimir Lenin proudly stands on a corner of capitalism in the center of Fremont. The 16 foot tall bronze statue was originally erected in Poprad, Czechoslovakia in 1988 by Emil Venkov.
When the Russian Empire fell, so did the Lenin statue. Entrepreneur Lewis Carpenter fell in love with the statue’s craftsmanship, mortgaged his home and lugged the big guy back to Seattle. Before Carpenter could do anything with Lenin, he died in a car accident. His family loaned out the statue to the Fremont neighborhood to help pay off the home loan. So there Lenin has stood since 1995, in the middle of Fremont, with no real owner.
Lenin is often dressed up or decorated in appropriate clothing for local events. For Gay Pride Week, he dresses in drag and he dons a star for Christmas. For more statue decoration and dress-up, check out “Waiting for the Interurban” statue near the Fremont Bridge.
