Nearly eight years to the day after Mayor Ed Lee died of a heart attack while in office, Lee will have a bronze bust of him unveiled at SF City Hall, and it will be officially introduced to the world on Friday.

Tomorrow will mark the eight-year anniversary of the death of SF Mayor Ed Lee, who died in office from a sudden and unexpected heart attack at age 65. And Lee has been commemorated with a statue of him at the Chase Center, though Lee’s likeness on that statue is, well, maybe a little less than outstanding of a portrayal.

Image: Chase Center

Fortunately for the legacy of Mayor Ed Lee, he’s getting a do-over with a face that is a little more accurately sculpted. The Chronicle reports that a bust of former Mayor Ed Lee will be unveiled at SF City Hall today, and many of Lee’s family members will be on hand, including his 99-year-old surviving mother.



The bust will be accompanied with an inscription that says, “There is no limit to the success and potential of this extraordinary city if we keep the door of opportunity open to every San Franciscan,” a direct quote from Lee’s 2013 State of the City address.

What’s interesting is that Lee’s bust will take the spot of the recently decommissioned and removed bust of former SF Mayor James Phelan, who held the job from 1897 to 1902. Phelan is another of those historical figures whose legacy has faced a reckoning over his overt racism, as Phelan actually ran for California Senator in 1920 with the campaign slogan “Keep California White.” Phelan's bust was removed two years ago.

Lee’s busts will join the busts of other legacy SF mayors whose busts are on display at City Hall, including Adolph Sutro, James Rolph, Angelo Rossi, George Christopher, John Shelley, George Moscone, Dianne Feinstein, Willie Brown, and Gavin Newsom.

Related: The Ed Lee Statue at Chase Center Has Been Unveiled [SFist]

Image via Eric Tao