Across Canada – and around the world – thefts of bronze elements from public art, memorials, and cemeteries are on the up. Plaques, sculptural elements, urns, and statuary have been targeted, leaving behind damaged sites and difficult decisions for those responsible for their care.
When these losses occur, the impact extends beyond cost. Public artworks and memorials carry cultural, historical, and emotional meaning. Their removal affects communities, families, and the legacy of the artists who created them.
As a result, architects, municipalities, and memorial professionals are reassessing how monuments and public art are designed, specified, and maintained over time. While no material choice can prevent vandalism or theft, rising concern around bronze loss is influencing broader conversations about longevity and material risk in public environments.
One outcome of this shift is greater emphasis on granite as an alternative material for statuary and as a foundational element in the statue bases and pedestals.
As a material, granite offers a durable foundation that adds visual weight and permanence: qualities that are increasingly valued as teams rethink long-term material choices
Let’s take a deeper look at the issue…
The Reality: Theft of Bronze Components in Ontario
Recent incidents in Ontario highlight how serious and widespread this issue has become.
In one high-profile example, a large bronze statue of St. Teresa of Avila was stolen from Resurrection Cemetery in Ancaster, Ontario in September 2024. The sculpture was removed from its location and has not been recovered. Local police appealed to the community for information to help locate the stolen piece.
Ontario Provincial Police have also reported cemetery thefts targeting bronze and brass memorial components, including cremation urns, nameplates, and other bronze items, at multiple cemeteries in southwestern Ontario.
These losses aren’t only material; they represent deep emotional value for families and communities who entrusted these artworks with meaning that spans generations.
Why Does Bronze Theft Happen?
Bronze remains a target for a few key reasons:
- High scrap value: even pieces that are relatively small can fetch cash on resale.
- Accessibility: plaques, decorative elements, and bases are easy to remove and found in many cemeteries and public sites.
- Limited overnight surveillance: especially in outdoor, park-like, or cemetery settings.
How Material Choices Are Being Reconsidered
In response to these challenges, many project teams are looking beyond surveillance and security measures alone. Instead, greater emphasis is being placed on how material selection supports long-term stewardship, performance, and value.
For millennia, natural stone has been used in monuments, memorials, and civic landmarks – and today, it is increasingly considered in two key ways:
- As an alternative to bronze for sculptural and architectural elements
- As a durable, permanent material for statue bases, pedestals, and plinths
Unlike metals, granite has no meaningful scrap value and is selected for its inherent strength, weather resistance, and longevity along with its aesthetic appeal.
Where Granite Fits Into Your Project Strategy
Granite plays a complementary and sometimes alternative role in a landmark design by:
- Providing stable, load-bearing bases and pedestals for sculpture
- Offering long-term durability in exposed outdoor environments
- Reducing ongoing maintenance and lifecycle demands
- Supporting cohesive design intent across materials
By specifying granite early in the design process, project teams can ensure that statuary, bases or pedestals are integrated seamlessly with the artwork and the surrounding architecture.
What Project Teams Should Consider Today
Whether you are working on:
- Public art commissions
- Municipal landmarks
- Cemetery features
- Institutional campuses
- Heritage or restoration projects
Material selection now extends beyond aesthetics alone. Designers and stakeholders should consider how monuments will endure – physically, visually, and culturally – over decades of public exposure.
For statuary, bases, plinths, and foundational elements, granite offers:
- Proven long-term performance
- Low maintenance requirements
- Visual weight and permanence suited to civic and memorial settings
How HGH Granite Can Help
At HGH Granite, we work closely with architects, artists, planners, and memorial professionals to deliver custom granite solutions for public and commemorative projects. Our work includes:
- Custom granite statuary, bases, pedestals, and plinths for bronze sculptures
- Granite monuments and architectural stonework
- Technical guidance on material integration and detailing
- Support from early design through fabrication and installation
Our experience ensures each granite element is engineered, fabricated, and finished to meet aesthetic and performance expectations.
HGH Granite Base for a Bronze Landmark
One of our favourite recent examples of this approach can be seen at Queen’s Park in Toronto, where we had the privilege of creating the granite base for the commemorative Queen Elizabeth II bronze sculpture by renowned Canadian sculptor Ruth Abernethy.
Designed to support a 150% life-size statue in one of Ontario’s most prominent civic settings, the granite base was carefully refined in collaboration with the artist and project partners to ensure it felt dignified and enduring.
Moving Forward with Confidence
Bronze theft is changing how communities think about the materials they place in public spaces. While no single choice offers a complete solution, thoughtful material selection plays an important role in long-term stewardship.
For projects intended to last, monuments, memorials, and civic landmarks, granite remains a dependable, proven material for bases, pedestals, and structural elements.
If you’re in the early stages of planning or specifying a project, HGH Granite can help you explore granite solutions that align with your design intent and long-term goals.
Bronze Features Projects Gallery:
All Granite Project Gallery:
