The Vulcan statue

The Vulcan statue is the largest cast iron statue in the world and the symbol of Birmingham, Alabama. The 56 foot (17 m) tall statue depicts the Roman god Vulcan, god of the fire and forge. It was created as Birmingham's entry at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri and is the largest statue ever constructed in the United States. It is the second-largest statue standing in the United States behind the Statue of Liberty. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (960x1280, 450 KB) Please see the file description page for further information. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (960x1280, 450 KB) Please see the file description page for further information. ... Cast iron usually refers to grey cast iron, but can mean any of a group of iron-based alloys containing more than 2% carbon (alloys with less carbon are carbon steel by definition). ... Nickname: Location in Jefferson County in the state of Alabama Coordinates: Country United States State Alabama County Jefferson, Shelby Government  - Mayor Bernard Kincaid (D) Area  - City  151. ... A head of Minerva found in the ruins of the Roman baths in Bath Roman mythology, the mythological beliefs of the people of Ancient Rome, can be considered as having two parts. ... Vulcan, in Roman mythology, is the son of Jupiter and Juno, and husband of Maia and Venus. ... Entrance to Creation Exhibit on the Pike Map of the St. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Liberty Enlightening the World (French: La liberté éclairant le monde), known more commonly as the Statue of Liberty (Statue de la Liberté), is a colossal statue given to the United States by France in 1886, standing at Liberty Island, in the mouth of the Hudson River in New York Harbor...

Vulcan's location is 33°29′30.18″N, 86°47′43.86″W.

History

Construction

Commissioned by the Commercial Club of Birmingham, Italian-born sculptor Giuseppe Moretti began designing the monumental figure in 1903, using 10-inch (25 cm) and 6-foot (183 cm) tall models to study the form. He then proceeded to sculpt a clay master in an abandoned church in Passaic, New Jersey, which was divided into sections and transported by rail to the Birmingham Steel and Iron Company for preparation of casting molds. A sculpture is a three-dimensional object, which for the purposes of this article is man-made and selected for special recognition as art. ... Giuseppe Moretti (3 February 1857 — February 1935) was an Italian émigré sculptor who became known in America for his public monuments in bronze and marble. ... Passaic is a city in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. ...

Vulcan comprises 29 cast iron components with connecting flanges that are bolted together internally. The heaviest is his head, which weighs 11,000 pounds (4,990 kg). Forgemen designed and executed the connection details for the statue, which originally had no internal framework and was self-supporting. The grey iron castings were made in Birmingham entirely from locally-produced iron. Gray iron or grey iron was the original cast iron. It is relatively easy and inexpensive to make. ...

The completed weight of the figure alone weighs 100,000 lbs. When the anvil, block, hammer, and spearpoint are added, the statue weighs a total of 120,000 lbs and stands on a pedestal that is 123 feet tall. It has a chest circumference of 22 feet, 6 inches and a waist circumference of 18 feet, 3 inches.

1904 Exposition

Vulcan dramatically demonstrated the mineral and manufacturing riches of the Birmingham district at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition's "Mine and Metallurgy" exhibit, and was awarded the "Grand Prize".

When the Exposition in St. Louis ended, the statue was dismantled and returned to its hometown of Birmingham, only to be left in pieces alongside the railroad due to unpaid freight bills.

Alabama State Fairgrounds

Vulcan was eventually re-erected at the Alabama State Fairgrounds, but the statue's arms were installed incorrectly, and he was without his spear, which had been lost en route from St. Louis. The Alabama State Fairgrounds is located in west Birmingham. ... Hunting spear and knife, from Mesa Verde National Park. ...

With nothing to hold in his hands, Vulcan soon became an advertising icon. Over the years, Vulcan held an ice cream cone, a Coca-Cola bottle, and even advertised Heinz pickles. In the late 1920s, he was disassembled for inspection. During this time, children would often play around the disassembled statue. He was repainted flesh color and reassembled in the early 1930s.

On Red Mountain

It was not until 1936 that the statue found a suitable home, thanks to the Works Progress Administration, which partially funded a new park in the city at the top of Red Mountain. A 126-foot (38.4 m) pedestal was built of local sandstone, and Vulcan was hoisted into place. A new spear was fabricated to be held high in his right hand while his left hand held a hammer at his side. Vulcan was repainted in an aluminum like finish. WPA Graphic The Works Progress Administration (later Work Projects Administration, abbreviated WPA), was created on May 6, 1935 by Presidential order (Congress funded it annually but did not set it up). ... Red Mountain is a long ridge running southwest-northeast and dividing Jones Valley from Shades Valley south of Birmingham, Alabama,United States. ... Red sandstone interior of Lower Antelope Canyon, Arizona, worn smooth due to erosion by flash flooding over millions of years Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-size mineral or rock grains. ...

A nine day festival commenced on May 7, 1939 to dedicate Vulcan Park. Miss Evelyn Tully was crowned the Vulcan Queen. Guests of honor included the foundrymen who originally cast Vulcan. A crowd of 5,000 was present for the opening night of the festival.

To take full advantage of Vulcan's position overlooking Birmingham, the city's Junior Chamber of Commerce in 1946 made the statue into a symbol for road safety. His spear was replaced by a neon torch that glowed green, except during the 24 hours following a fatal traffic accident, when it glowed red. The United States Junior Chamber or Jaycees is an organization aimed at individuals aged 21 to 39 to help them in business and their professional careers. ... The field of road safety is concerned with reducing the numbers or the consequences of vehicle crashes, by developing and implementing management systems ideally based in a multidisciplinary and holistic approach, with interrelated activities in a number of fields. ... Lighting neon lamp, two 220/230 volt and 110 V neon lamps and a screwdriver with neon lamp inside A neon lamp is a gas discharge lamp containing primarily neon gas at low pressure. ...

In 1949, Vulcan gained new neighbors, when two television stations, WAFM-TV (now WVTM) and WBRC located their studios and towers on Red Mountain. 13 WVTM Birmingham Known as NBC 13 WVTM 13 signed on in 1949. ... WBRC, channel 6, FOX6 is the Fox O&O Station in the Birmingham/Anniston/Tuscaloosa, Alabama television market. ...

Centennial facelift

To celebrate Birmingham's centennial, the area around the statue was given a $1 million facelift in 1971. The original tower was clad in Alabama marble with an elevator and observation deck added. A covered walkway also connected a gift shop and snack bar. Vulcan was repainted a rust red a few years later. Vulcan was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 6, 1976. Venus de Milo, front. ... A typical plaque showing entry on the National Register of Historic Places. ... July 6 is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 178 days remaining. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ...

Unfortunately, the statue itself had, at some point, been filled up to the chest with concrete and had begun to deteriorate seriously. By 1990, an engineering study found that the statue was in danger of collapse. Concrete being poured, raked and vibrated into place in residential construction in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ...

1999-2004 Restoration

Vulcan was removed during October and November of 1999 in preparations for a $14 million renovation process that saw the park and pedestal restored to its original 1938 appearance. The statue sat in Vulcan Park's parking lot until the fall of 2001, when it was shipped to Robinson Iron to be repaired. The statue itself was thoroughly inspected and repaired, with some parts, including the lost spear point, re-cast. The new and restored pieces were thoroughly coated with a durable paint system, including a light-gray finish coat dubbed "Vulcan Gray" by the specifier.

Meanwhile in 2002, the 1971 park additions were demolished, and scaffolding went up around Vulcan's tower. Workmen cleaned and repaired the original tower. Vulcan's head and right arm went on display at the Birmingham Museum of Art while the tower was prepared. The Birmingham Museum of Art is a large public art museum, located in downtown Birmingham, Alabama. ...

Vulcan was re-erected on a steel armature atop his tower during June 2003, restored to its original appearance as intended by Moretti, slightly reoriented to the east. Television stations WVTM and WBRC both provided live webcams of the reinstallation. A Creative webcam A web camera (or webcam, real camera) is a real-time camera (usually, though not always, a video camera) whose images can be accessed using the World Wide Web, instant messaging, or a PC video calling application. ...

Shortly after the statue was reinstalled, the scaffolding came down, and a new observation deck, providing panoramic views of the area, was installed. The museum at the base was rebuilt, though it now serves as a storage area. A new elevator was installed, but oriented so it would not be easily seen from downtown Birmingham. The original waterfalls were not rebuilt, though the stone walkways leading from the parking lot directly to Vulcan's tower were restored. The statue and park were officially reopened in 2004, celebrating Vulcan's 100th birthday. In 2004, Vulcan Park welcomed more than 100,000 visitors. The restoration project received a National Preservation Honor Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 2006.^[1] The National Trust for Historic Preservation is an American member-supported organization which was founded in 1949 to support preservation of historic buildings and neighborhoods through a range of programs and activities. ...

Vulcan Park

Vulcan Park is the 10-acre (4 ha) urban green space surrounding the statue. The park features a new visitor's center, called the Vulcan Center, with interactive exhibits and displays that give insight into the history and industrial growth of the Birmingham District as well as the story of the Vulcan statue. A replica of Vulcan's foot, cast in fiberglass in 1991, is displayed inside the museum, giving visitors a sense of the scale of the statue. The offices of the Vulcan Park Foundation, which manages the park for the city are also housed in the Vulcan Center, along with space for temporary exhibitions, receptions and conferences. In 2005 the city began providing free wireless internet access during park hours.

Trivia

• The statue's naked buttocks have been a source of embarrassment and humor locally. A novelty song, "Moon Over Homewood," refers to the fact that the statue "moons" the neighboring suburb of Homewood, Alabama.
• The city's entry in the World Football League, the Birmingham Vulcans were named for the statue, though many people assumed incorrectly that the nickname was a reference to the race of Vulcans on the television show Star Trek.
• George W. Bush’s foreign policy advisory team in the 2000 U.S. Presidential election was led by Birmingham native Condoleezza Rice and nicknamed themselves the Vulcans in honour of the statue, although once again many people assumed incorrectly that this was a reference to the Star Trek Vulcans.
• A rock radio station in the area goes by the moniker "105.5 The Vulcan" in honor of the statue. Likewise, the NBC television station WVTM Channel 13 references the statue in one of the letters of its callsign meaning: Vulcan. Unrelated, TM stood for Times Mirror, former owner of the station.

Bottom commonly refers to the human buttocks but also has other uses. ... Mooning, or giving the browneye is the act of displaying ones bare buttocks by removing clothing, e. ... Homewood is a city in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. ... WFL logo The World Football League was an American football league that played in 1974 and part of 1975. ... The Birmingham Americans were a professional football team based in Birmingham, Alabama in the World Football League, an attempt to start a new major professional football league in the United States in competition with the established National Football League. ... It has been suggested that Tplana-hath be merged into this article or section. ... The current Star Trek franchise logo Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment series. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States, inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... Map The U.S. presidential election of 2000 took place on Election Day, Tuesday, November 7. ... Condoleezza Rice (born November 14, 1954) is the 66th United States Secretary of State, and the second in the administration of President George W. Bush to hold the office. ... The Vulcan statue in Birmingham. ... Vulcans are a humanoid species in the fictional Star Trek universe who reside on the planet Vulcan and are noted for their attempt to live by reason and logic, with no interference from emotion. ... WENN, Hallelujuah 105. ... NBC (an acronym for National Broadcasting Company) is an American television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... WVTM-TV is the NBC affiliate station in the Birmingham-Anniston-Tuscaloosa, Alabama television market. ...

Notes

1. ^ National Trust for Historic Preservation (2006-11-02). National Trust Presents National Preservation Honor Award to Vulcan Park in Birmingham, Alabama. Press release. Retrieved on 2006-11-06.

A news release, press release or press statement is a written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something claimed as having news value. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... November 6 is the 310th day of the year (311th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 55 days remaining. ...

References

• Morris, Philip A. (1995) Vulcan and His Times. Birmingham: Birmingham Historical Society.
• Howell, J. Scott (2004) "Bringing Back the Magic: Restoring Giuseppi Moretti's Vulcan in Birmingham, Alabama." APT Bulletin: The Journal of Preservation Technology. Volume XXXV, No. 2-3. ISSN 0044-9466

External links

• Vulcan Park Foundation
• Vulcan photos and newspaper articles at the Birmingham Public Library
• Vulcan restoration project site at Robinson Iron
• Gallery of Vulcan photos at Flickr
• "Colossi of the Ancient World" - A Birmingham Historical Society Information booklet (2 pages in pdf)
• "Vive Vulcan!" - A Birmingham Historical Society activity book (40 pages in pdf)