Why Alexander Hamilton statue went missing in Chicago

CHICAGO (AP) - A 13-foot statue of Alexander Hamilton has disappeared from a park in Chicago, but there's a good explanation.

The Chicago Tribune reports (http://trib.in/25KW3B7 ) the statue is being restored. It will return to Lincoln Park before the mega-hit musical "Hamilton" opens in the city in late September.

Chicago Park District spokeswoman Jessica Maxey-Faulkner says the Hamilton statue is in the hands of a specialist. Its restoration was scheduled long before the Broadway musical made Hamilton a household name again.

Money for the work comes from a fund established for the statue's upkeep by the late philanthropist Kate Sturges Buckingham.

A second Hamilton statue is in storage, removed from Grant Park during construction of Millennium Park. It's unclear when that Hamilton likeness will make its return onto the city's stage.

___

Information from: Chicago Tribune, http://www.chicagotribune.com