Despite a glimmer of hope for an iconic Fort Myers statue damaged by Hurricane Ian, some residents are frustrated that it has taken a year to see progress and that the road to restoration still may be a lengthy one.
At the Fort Myers City Council meeting Monday, the next steps were laid out for Rachel at the Well. The sculpture of the maiden from a biblical scene stands at the entrance of Edison Park and across the street from the Edison and Ford Winter Estates. Before Hurricane Ian, the maiden could be seen pouring water into a basin beneath her feet.
The city is preparing to take bids to submit to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to restore the nearly 100-year-old statue. But residents are aggravated that the statue, also known as The Spirit of Fort Myers, has sat untouched and that there were other avenues that could have been taken to repair the damage.
Gina Sabiston, chair of the Fort Myers Historic Preservation Commission, voiced her frustration at having met with city staff members multiple times in recent months to discuss repairing Rachel.
“I don’t understand why the project hasn’t moved forward,” she said. “I know we want to see it done right, but it just seems like it’s tied up in red tape and bureaucracy for no good, apparent reason.”
Sabiston indicated that nonprofits have been willing to take over the project. “We just want to see it happen, and we don’t want this to languish for another year or two,” she said.
Council member Liston Bochette of Ward 4 acknowledged that the city is trying to follow correct FEMA procedures but said there were donors willing to pay for the repairs weeks after the hurricane.
“I truly believe that had we taken them up on their fundraising, we’d have Rachel back today,” he said. “So I’d like to say we need to expediate this as fast as possible.”
Bochette presented pictures of the historic statue, including one of Thomas and Mina Edison alongside James D. Newton, the developer of Edison Park, at the inauguration of Rachel in 1926. He followed up with pictures of the statue taken before the hurricane, when it was surrounded by lush foliage, had a wrought-iron fence behind it and Rachel was not crumpled.
“It is a sense of community pride,” Bochette said. “It’s a sense of heritage. It’s a sense of all the people in our city and throughout Southwest Florida.”
Now the fence and foliage are gone. The pillars that surround the statue are damaged. Rachel is bent over, nearly snapped in half. And the maiden is concealed with orange safety netting.
“And this is how she sits today, incarcerated, and we’re looking to free her,” the council member said, showing photos from the aftermath of the storm.
Bochette estimated it would be around $100,000 to restore Rachel.
“Whether FEMA reimburses us or not, this is a must-do project,” he said. “And if FEMA won’t do it, I honestly believe this is within the city’s capability, as well as the citizens, who I believe would have exceeded this number with contributions up to date.”
Linda Balogh, who did not attend the meeting, has lived in Edison Park with her husband for 20 years. Balogh, 77, shares the same sentiment.
“I would say that if FEMA can’t do it, that that would be a worthwhile project for the city to spend some money on,” she said.
Balogh said the statue is a landmark that is irreplaceable. “It’s very important to us, and history is important,” she said. “We want to teach our children that. We don’t want to tear things down.”
Initiated by Newton, Rachel was built in place by the German sculptor Helmuth von Zengen to greet residents entering the Edison Park Historic District. The statue was originally sculpted in the nude, but Mina Edison insisted that Rachel be clothed. Reluctantly, von Zengen added the veil over the statue.
Rachel has become a staple of SWFL. It has been decorated for holidays and visited by moviemakers. High schoolers have been known to pull pranks by filling the fountain with soap and painting a swimsuit on the statue.
At the council meeting, Fort Myers Fire Chief Tracy McMillion introduced a video of community leaders showing their support for restoration, a project he organized. Among the supporters was Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson, who said the history behind the statue is what makes it so special.
“What’s really neat about Rachel is she has withstood storm after storm…until Hurricane Ian,” Anderson said. “But that’s okay because we are going to restore her to her prior splendor and glory. Not only that, but we’re going to make her stronger than ever so that she can withstand the storms of the future as well.”
Kristina Mathews, the Emergency Management Coordinator for the Fort Myers Fire Department, gave a timeline for the restoration of Rachel and took questions from council members. She said bids will begin in about a week. Bidders will evaluate Rachel to see what is needed to “make sure that she looks exactly the same, but she is built back stronger.” Companies or individuals will have 30 days to submit bids to the city.
The council will then choose one bid and submit the proposal to FEMA for review.
“We’re doing a really comprehensive community approach to make sure that she is restored correctly and making sure we’re following our own processes to get that FEMA reimbursement,” Mathews said, adding that it will be 2024 before restoration begins.
Cheri O’Mailia, who has lived in Edison Park for 35 years and is the neighborhood historian, has hope for Rachel's restoration. But she is still upset that there has been no progress on the statue until now.
“I mean, I'm willing to roll up my sleeves or do what's needed,” she said.
She knows that the wheels are turning on getting the statue restored, but she is concerned that it will be a long process.
“Our neighborhood turns 100 years old on April 7, 2026,” O’Mailia said. “And I was hoping that, by that time, we'd have Rachel back up. But it's already been a year, and there's no movement.”
O’Mailia said the residents hold Rachel to “great endearment” and that the statue is “practically human.”
“There’s so much history, almost a DNA to her,” she said. “To me, it would be a sign of failure if we can't get her up and running again.”
The 68-year-old prefers not to use the McGregor entrance to the subdivision because Rachel is the first thing she sees when pulling in. “Seeing her like that, it’s sad,” she added.
“You know, she's not a living thing, but people think of her as a living thing,” O'Mailia said. “And she represents Fort Myers in a very big way.”
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