Lincoln replica in West Englewood vandalized prior to Charlottesville

CHICAGO — A photo of a vandalized replica of President Abraham Lincoln is gaining traction online, but it turns out it was destroyed years ago.

The replica, which sits near 69th and Wolcott in Chicago’s West Englewood neighborhood, is from an old gas station. And it was destroyed prior to the deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville.

Ald. Raymond Lopez, 15th Ward, posted a photo of the replica to Facebook on Wednesday, and it was shared thousands of times.

“What an absolute disgraceful act of vandalism,” Lopez said in his post. “This bust of Abraham Lincoln, erected by Phil Bloomquist on August 31, 1926, was damaged and burned.”