Le Parc de Notre Renaissance Française was named in July 1999 after being selected as the site for a bronze monument honoring Franco-American immigrants. The Franco-American community, led by Georgi Laurin Hippauf, co-chair of the city's French Heritage Committee, privately funded the sculpture, and the city dedicated it on May 19, 2001 in their honor. It is the first full figure erected in Nashua in a century and the first sculpture in New England honoring Franco-American culture. Standing 6 feet tall, it pays tribute to the French women and children who worked in the mills during the first half of the 20th century. The first wave of French Canadian immigrants arrived between 1870 and 1872, and by 1936, 14,560 of Nashua's 31,938 residents were French. The park and sculpture serve as a reminder of Nashua's French heritage.