PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The City of Philadelphia has relinquished ownership of the statue of former mayor Frank Rizzo and will return it to the group that commissioned it back in the 1990s.

The Rizzo statue stood on the steps of the Municipal Services Building in Center City for more than 20 years, attracting graffiti and protests — until the civil unrest of 2020 drew such anger that then-Mayor Jim Kenney declared it a public safety hazard and had it removed. That prompted a lawsuit by the Frank Rizzo Monument Committee, led by Jodi Della Barba, who welcomed the settlement returning the statue.

“It’s a big thing. We worked hard to get the statue, to raise the money and then when that statue came down it was just horrendous,” said Della Barba.

The Philadelphia Art Commission voted unanimously on Wednesday to deaccession the statue and return it to the Frank Rizzo Monument Committee after a brief discussion about what would happen to it next. The committee’s attorney, Matthew Minsky, said the statue would be repaired to fix damage done during its removal but would not say where it would go after that.

“It’s a little bit of a difficult situation in that the statue is Frank Rizzo coming down steps so the base of the statue requires some kind of structure resembling steps,” he said.

Under the settlement, the city will haul the statue out of storage and donate $80,000 dollars to the committee for repairs. The committee has agreed to display the statue only on private property and inside a building or behind a fence, wall or other structure that blocks it from public view. Della Barba declined to say what location the committee is considering.

“The place we picked I think will be very safe. It’s just a place where he belongs,” she said.

Rizzo’s son, former City Councilman Frank Rizzo Jr., said he was just happy to see it taken out of storage. “I’m glad he’s going to see the day of light again,” he said.

“It’s a triumph for the people of Philadelphia, for his family, for his followers,” said Della Barba, “and just in general for what’s right.”

Featured Image Photo Credit: Jessica Kourkounis/Getty Images