Sculptor dies; plans for Frazier statue go forward

The city will proceed with plans for a statue honoring boxing legend Joe Frazier despite the death of the statue's sculptor, Mayor Nutter said Monday.

Lawrence J. Nowlan, 48, who was commissioned by a city panel in April to create the statue, died last Tuesday at his home in New Hampshire.

Nutter said the panel would evaluate other submissions before deciding on a new sculptor. At the time of his death, Nowlan had not received final approval from the Philadelphia Arts Commission but had completed a mock-up of the final statue.

The statue will be located near the Xfinity Live Complex in South Philadelphia.

"We as a city are committed to the creation of a statue in honor of Joe Frazier," Nutter said through a spokesman. "We all deeply regret the passing of sculptor Lawrence Nowlan and the loss of his artistry in this project. But Mr. Nowlan's untimely passing will not deter us from honoring a great Philadelphian."

Frazier trained in his gym on North Broad Street and died of liver cancer at 67 in November 2011. He went 32-4-1 with 27 knockouts in his storied heavyweight career. Advocates of the statue complained that the city had a statue honoring the movie character Rocky Balboa but none to pay tribute to Frazier, the former heavyweight champion.

"Everybody in the boxing community is pushing for that statue to be up," said Philadelphia-based boxer Jesse Hart, who trained at Frazier's gym. "And it's preposterous that it's not up already."

Nowlan was born in Philadelphia on Jan. 11, 1965, and grew up watching Frazier fight. He later became a prominent sculptor. He created the Harry Kalas statue at Citizens Bank Park and was a lifelong Philadelphia sports fan.

He moved to New Hampshire in 1995 to serve as artist-in-residence at the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site. Nowlan later opened a studio in a former church in Windsor, Vt., where, under the high ceilings of the steepled building, he crafted sculptures as big as 16 feet tall and 8,000 pounds.

The Frazier statue was to be eight feet tall and 800 pounds.

"The commission to sculpt Joe Frazier was one of the highlights of his career," said Jane Osgood, who owns the former church where Nowlan worked. "And he was very much looking forward to completing that and doing something again to honor the city of Philadelphia."

Nowlan's family could not be reached for comment.

The Rutland Herald, a daily newspaper in Vermont, reported in May that the statue would depict the left hook that knocked down Muhammad Ali in the 15th round of "The Fight of the Century" in 1971.

The mayor announced plans for the statue in April after the city raised $160,000 to support its creation and maintenance.

The attorney for the Frazier family, Robert Silver, said the city had not entered into a contract with Nowlan because the arts commission had not granted approval.