Bringing Sutro Home: A Legacy Cast in Bronze

via Friends of Sutro Tunnel Charity

This October, The Friends of Sutro Tunnel will reveal a monumental bronze sculpture of Adolph Sutro at the entrance to the world-famous Sutro Tunnel. The historic bronze statue will return the visionary to the place where his impossible dream became one of the greatest engineering marvels of the American West.

Commissioned by the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation (JASHP) and created by internationally renowned Israeli sculptor Sam Philipe, the monument will honor the immigrant, entrepreneur, and visionary whose determination changed the course of Nevada mining history.

The bronze statue will stand atop a massive, hand-picked Comstock boulder near the entrance to the famous tunnel. Together, the statue and boulder will forever link the man with his tunnel that revolutionized Comstock mining. Following the completion of the Sutro Tunnel, the Comstock mines went on to produce roughly another $50 million in gold and silver, while Sutro himself went on to become Mayor of San Francisco.

Just as Adolph Sutro once made the journey to America as an immigrant, his statue will soon make a remarkable journey of its own. The statue is being created in Jerusalem by internationally renowned artist Sam Philipe, and will travel from Israel to Nevada in late September. Philipe’s work spans three continents, and his art has been presented to presidents, prime ministers, royalty, and popes, including Pope John Paul II, King Hussein of Jordan, President George W. Bush, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, and Princess Diana. His major public works include the Machal Memorial in Jerusalem and the nearly 60-foot Tree of Life, the largest sculpture of its kind in the world.

The creation of an Adolph Sutro statue commissioned by the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation (JASHP) and created by Sam Philipe specifically for the Sutro Tunnel is a remarkable distinction for both the historic site and Nevada, placing it among a select group of places around the world that are home to the internationally renowned sculptor’s monumental works.

The Friends of Sutro Tunnel is honored to bring Adolph Sutro home to the place where he made history and where his remarkable legacy can be experienced firsthand. Over the past decade, the nonprofit has worked to preserve and restore the historic Sutro Tunnel and surrounding site, transforming the property into one of Nevada’s premier heritage and mining tourism destinations. Today, visitors can enter the restored tunnel, explore the historic grounds and buildings, and stand in the very place where one of the American West’s greatest engineering stories unfolded.

“Bringing Sutro Home is about far more than revealing a monument,” said Harmony Heywood, Tourism Director for The Friends of Sutro Tunnel. “It’s about restoring one of Nevada’s greatest historic landmarks, honoring a visionary whose perseverance changed the American West, and bringing an important piece of Nevada’s history back into the public eye.”

On Oct. 19, The Friends of Sutro Tunnel will open the site to the public for a special day of free self-guided tours, giving visitors the opportunity to see the new statue and explore the historic tunnel and grounds. The date holds special significance in Sutro Tunnel history, marking the 157th anniversary of the beginning of construction on the tunnel.

For more information about The Friends of Sutro Tunnel, tour opportunities, or the Bringing Sutro Home campaign, visit thesutrotunnel.org.

Bringing Sutro Home: Statue Reveal and Dedication
Monday, Oct. 19, 2026
Formal program begins at 11 a.m.
Official statue reveal at approximately 11:30 a.m.
Historic Sutro Tunnel (Dayton, Nevada)