Restore The King: Delaware’s Gambrinus Statue 

Moderator: Leila Hamroun, Senior Preservation Architect, TetraTech & PDI Board Member
Guest Speaker: John Medkeff, President, Friends of Delaware's Gambrinus Statue (FDGS)
FDGS's mission is to restore the iconic commercial sculpture of Gambrinus, the king of beer, which stood atop Wilmington's Diamond State Brewery from 1882 until 1962. The 11-foot-tall, one-ton zinc statue was broken in the late 1970s. Our non-profit organization owns the pieces and has undertaken a fundraising campaign to complete restoration. Once the project is completed, we intend to donate the statue to the Delaware History Museum for public presentation and conservation.
The sculpture is the most significant remaining artifact from Delaware's golden age of brewing in the late 19th through the early 20th century when the industry was one of the state's largest and most profitable. The King Gambrinus statue's restoration will serve as a symbol of the return of brewing as an important cultural, economic, and social driver in Delaware.