WASHINGTON, D.C. – A wax sculpture of President Abraham Lincoln, which recently made headlines for melting and nearly decapitating in the obtuse summer heat, has been relocated outside Ford’s Theatre and rebranded as a memorial to the fateful night the late president was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth.

The statue, which was originally located outside a local elementary school, was created by artist Sandy Williams IV as part of an exhibition at Camp Baker, a contraband camp during the Civil War.

“This 3,000-lb wax sculpture is intended to be burnt like a candle and to change over time, but this wild heat has done a number on Lincoln,” Cultural DC, which commissioned the project, wrote in an update on its site. “However, after seeing how the heat, which has been in excess of 100 degrees lately, has altered the wax president’s body, everyone here took one look at it and knew this piece of art was destined for a new location.”

Critics of the move found it to be rather distasteful and disrespectful to the memory of Lincoln, whom many view as one of the best presidents in American history.

“President Lincoln is the dude who freed the slaves, right? Arguably one of the best things to happen to America,” said William O’Neill, a tourist from Anchorage, Alaska. “So why are we celebrating the guy’s death? Shouldn’t we be celebrating his life, instead?”

However, after seeing the decapitated wax sculpture, O’Neill said, “Oh, I can totally see why they moved that over here. That shit’s funny.”

President Lincoln was shot in the back of the head by John Wilkes Booth on the evening of April 14, 1865, as he watched a performance of Our American Cousin, a play in which Booth was performing. Although he survived the initial gunshot, the president perished the next day while recuperating in the Petersen boardinghouse across the street.

Unsurprisingly, it didn’t take long for vandals to add their own twist to the mutilated artwork. In less than 24-hours, the back of the statue’s head was spray painted red, cosplayers showed up in droves dressed as John Wilkes Booth for photo ops, and climate activists staged protests outside the theatre, using the statue as undeniable evidence of global warming.

While many businesses would be wary of this massive influx of negative behavior outside their building, the team at Ford’s Theatre are excited for all the attention.

“Most of the people who come to D.C. are really more interested in the attractions around the National Mall, like the Smithsonian, the monuments, etc.,” said Stacy Lourde, Ford’s Theatre director of public relations. “At Ford’s Theatre, our typical patrons consist of true crime nuts, hot goth chicks looking for supposedly haunted locations to take photos for their Instagram, and the occasional middle school field trip. It’s nice to see so many people with renewed interest in our nation’s history.”

Although unconfirmed, there are rumors that the artist’s next exhibit will include a wax sculpture of John F. Kennedy sitting in the backseat of his presidential limousine.

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