Stolen UW statue honoring fallen WWI students recovered in Auburn

A valuable bronze statue taken from a University of Washington (UW) frat house more than two years ago has finally returned.

The $50,000 statue was cast in 1920 to honor fraternity members who died in World War I. However, fraternity members said its greater value was sentimental.

Seattle police got a tip about the statue and found it at a home in Auburn.

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In September 2020, Seattle Police received a 911 call about a burglary where the bronze statue was stolen from a fraternity house while the home was under construction near the UW campus in the University District.

A sponsor of the fraternity house reported the burglary to the police. It was reported the burglar broke through the house’s front door in the 2100 block of Northeast 47th Street and stole the solid bronze statue.

Police reported there is no suspect in this case, and fraternity members are not asking police to conduct a criminal investigation.

The lives lost during WWI are commemorated throughout the campus. For example, Memorial Way — the university’s entrance to the campus from N.E. 45th Street — boasts 58 London Plane Sycamore trees that were planted on Armistice Day, 1920, to honor the 58 UW alumni, students, and faculty who died during World War I. The grove has since grown to more than 100 trees.

The entrance to the street has two stone pylons that were placed there in 1928, carrying the names of people attached to the school who lost their lives in World War I.

One fraternity requires its pledges to polish the names on the plaque.