NO RODIN FOR NOW

In 1912, the French donated a bronze bust by Auguste Rodin for the monument. The Rodin was mounted on the memorial below the sculpture of Champlain but was taken away last year for restoration.

Work on the Rodin was finished in July by restoration expert Jonathan Taggart at the Peebles Island Resource Center of the State Historic Preservation Office.

Most of the work on the lighthouse itself is finished, but the nearby pier is still under construction, said Lake Champlain Visitors Center Coordinator Suzanne Maye.

She said that although the Rodin is restored, it isn't back yet.

"The Rodin is still in Albany at the state lab. It's supposed to return next year."

Everyone is looking forward to its rededication, she said.

"It was a gift to the American public, to the people of New York and Vermont. No work of art is thoroughly appreciated unless it sits in the context for which it was intended."

Hughes said the bust should be back by spring 2009.

lmckinstry@pressrepublican.com