Statue of young F. Scott Fitzgerald stolen from St. Paul, police say

    ST. PAUL, Minnesota (WCCO) -- A statue of one of St. Paul's most famous sons was stolen from the capital city earlier this month, police say.

The statue of a young F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of high school English class staple "The Great Gatsby" among other works, sat outside 25 Dale St. N., the former site of a school that he attended.

A St. Paul Police Department spokesperson said the statue was reported missing Friday but may have been stolen as early as Feb. 3.

"it's just a big disappointment for the community and for me as well," said building owner Ed Conley. "It's just really became a part of the fabric of the whole story of F. Scott Fitzgerald in St. Paul. He lived just around the corner here."

Conley said they're looking through surveillance with the St. Paul Police Department. Surveillance has footage of the street and the building sign, but one part that is missing is right where the statue was.

Police believe someone cut the statue free. Anyone with information about the theft is asked to call 651-291-1111.

Fitzgerald was born on Laurel Avenue in St. Paul on Sept. 24, 1896, according to the Minnesota Historical Society. He attended St. Paul Academy, which once sat where the stolen statue resided. Though he spent much of his life in New York, Paris and Hollywood, Fitzgerald did return to St. Paul with his wife Zelda and finished his first novel, "This Side of Paradise," in his home city.

The historical society said Fitzgerald's upbringing in the wealthy Summit Avenue area of St. Paul greatly impacted his later life.

"Fitzgerald's experiences with St. Paul's elite profoundly influenced his life," the historical society said. "He loved, and loathed, the life of wealth. He desperately sought acceptance from elites, but also recognized the emptiness of their lives."

According to CCI Properties, which manages 25 Dale St. N., the statue was created by artist Arron Dysart and put up in 2006.

The plaque that accompanies the statue reads: "F. Scott Fitzgerald attended school here at the St. Paul Academy from 1908 to 1911 where he published some his first short stories in the school magazine Now and Then and penned his first plays."

It's not the first time thieves have targeted public art. They tried to take a piece from Harriet Island in St. Paul last spring and managed to get away with plaques honoring fallen World War I veterans.

A new law in Minnesota is designed to try and crack down on copper theft.