[UPDATE] Because October 4th falls on Yom Kippur this year, the Edgar Allan Poe Foundation of Boston has changed the date of the unveiling of Stefanie Rocknak’s statue, Poe Returning to Boston, from Saturday, October 4, 2014, at 2pm to Sunday, October 5, 2014, at 2pm.

Back in January the Edgar Allan Poe foundation of Boston spoke to BostInno about their tireless efforts to erect a statue of the famed author and poet. On Wednesday they announced that thanks in part to a recent grant, the project has reached its target fundraising goal and has set a date to unveil the finished product.

The foundation banked a $10,000 grant from the Lynch Foundation to help them achieve the desired $224,000 goal. The fresh funds will cover the fabrication, transportation, installation and long-term maintenance of the statue, which the foundation is happy to announced will debut on Saturday, October 4, 2014 at 2:00 p.m. The location is aptly named Edgar Allan Poe Square at the intersection of Boylston Street and Charles Street South.

Mayor Tom Menino dedicated the square in Poe’s honor. Not only did Poe, most synonymous with the city of Baltimore, publish some of his first and last works in Boston, but he was born here as well – and not too far from the square that bears his namesake.

“In the case of the Poe statue, prices for some work turned out to be higher than we had expected, while commitments to fund long- term maintenance and contingencies that add elements of the unpredictable arose over the past 9 months,”said Poe Foundation Chair Paul Lewis, who moonlights as a professor at Boston College. “We’re grateful for donors, large and small, that have helped us keep up with these cost increases.”

The statue is the brainchild of artist Stefanie Rocknak, who was given the green light by the City of Boston to sculpt Poe back to life after winning the coveted commission while competing against 265 other artists who applied from 42 states and 13 countries to do the same. She aptly named her work Poe Returning to Boston.

“A wax positive of the pre-bronze, clay sculpture is currently being completed by New England Sculpture Services in Chelsea, MA,” explained Rocknak of the artistic process. “After I take a look at the positive, which is in pieces, and make any necessary adjustments, the casting will begin. Once the piece is cast and assembled, the patina will be applied. It will be finished by the end of August.

The date of the unveiling, October 4, is just three days before the 165th anniversary of Poe’s death back in 1849, the foundation noted in a statement. It will be installed by Sawmut Design and Construction of Boston.

And both Lewis and Rocknak couldn’t be more excited.

“This has been a long but enjoyable process. I can’t wait for the day that I am standing in Poe Square, watching the piece come down the road on the transport truck,” continued Rocknak. “At that point, it will only be a matter of hours before the sculpture is secured to its final resting place.”