San Francisco, CA honored Tony Bennett with a statue in front of the Fairmont Hotel.  The Fairmont was where Bennett first sang “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” in 1961.  Various news outlets were on hand for the unveiling, as well as The Giants’ Larry Baer, the city’s Chief of Protocol Charlotte Mailliard Shultz, and former Mayor Willie Brown.  The unveiling took place on August 19th, which San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee declared as Tony Bennett Day.

Bruce Wolfe sculpted the 8′ work, with Bennett posing for three days at the studio. Wolfe created two busts for the Bennett statue; one set aside for the final pour and one to use during the creation of the body.  Read more about Wolfe’s process to create the sculpture.  Among Wolfe’s other notable commissions is his statue of founding president Edgar Odell Lovett at Rice University; his statue of golf legend, Arnold Palmer, at Wake Forest University’s golf course; and his statue of Barbara Jordan at the University of Texas in Austin and at Austin Bergstrom International Airport.