Vulcan - Birmingham, AL
Posted by: 
Thorny1
N 33° 29.503 W 086° 47.731
16S E 518995 N 3705820
The Vulcan statue is the largest cast iron statue in the world and the symbol of Birmingham, Alabama.
Waymark Code: WM45P1
Location: Alabama, United States
Date Posted: 07/11/2008
Views: 123
(from Wikipedia and Vulcan Park)
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 for the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri. It is the seventh-tallest free standing statue in the United States.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
In 1949, Vulcan gained new neighbors, when two television stations, WAFM-TV (now WVTM) and WBRC located their studios and towers on Red Mountain.
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.
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.
1999-2004 Restoration
Vulcan on his restored pedestal with new elevator towerVulcan was removed during October and November 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.
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.
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.
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.
Vulcan Park and Museum
1701 Valley View Drive
Birmingham, AL 35209
Vulcan Park and Museum is located atop Red Mountain near the intersection of Valley Avenue and 21st Street South (Richard Arrington Junior Boulevard).
Mythology:
Vulcan was the son of Jupiter and Juno. As the son of the king and queen of gods Vulcan should have been very fine to look at but baby Vulcan was small and ugly with a red, bawling face. Juno was so horrified that she hurled the tiny baby off the top of Mount Olympus, the baby fell down for a day and a night, luckily he fell in the sea but his legs were badly damaged as they struck the water and they never properly developed. Baby Vulcan sunk like a pebble to the cool blue depths where the sea-nymph, Thetis found him and took him to her home, an under water grotto, then she raised him as if he were her own. Vulcan had a happy childhood with dolphins as his playmates and pearls as his toys, then one day, when he was about 12 years old, he found the remains of a fisherman's fire on the beach, the young god stared in amazement at a single coal, still red-hot and glowing. After a world of cool, watery blues and greens, it was more lovely to him than any pearl. Vulcan carefully shut this precious coal in a clam and took it back to his underwater grotto and made a fire with it. On the first day Vulcan stared at this fire for hours on end, never leaving it, he fed the flames with seaweed driftwood coral and stones. On the second day he discovered that when he made the fire hotter with bellows, certain stones sweated iron or silver or gold. On the third day he beat the cooled metal into shapes: bracelets, chains, swords and shields. Vulcan made pearl-handled knives and spoons for his foster mother, he made a silver chariot for himself, and bridles so that seahorses could transport him quickly. He even made slave-girls of gold to wait on him and do his bidding. From that day onwards he and Thetis lived like royalty. One day Thetis left her underwater grotto to attend a dinner party on Mount Olympus. She wore a beautiful necklace of silver and sapphires, which Vulcan had made for her, Juno admired the necklace an asked where she could get one. Thetis became flustered and Juno grew suspicious and at last the queen god discovered the truth the baby she had once rejected had grew into a talented smithy. Juno was furious and demanded that the smith god came home. The smith god refused. However he did send Juno the most beautiful chair. Made of silver and gold, inlaid with mother-of-pearl, it had a seat like a shell and arms like a dolphin. Juno was delighted when she received this gift but as soon as she sat down in it, her weight triggered hidden springs, metal bands sprung forth to hold her fast. The more she shrieked and struggled the more firmly the mechanical throne gripped her, the chair was a cleverly designed trap. For 3 days Juno sat fuming, still trapped in Vulcan's chair, she couldn't sleep, she couldn't stretch, she couldn't eat. It was Jupiter who finally saved the day, he promised that if Vulcan released Juno he would give him a wife, but not just any wife, Venus the god of love and beauty, what man could resist? Vulcan agreed and married Venus he later built a smithy under a huge mountain on the island of Sicily. They say whenever Venus is unfaithful, Vulcan grows angry and beats the red-hot metal with such a force that sparks and smoke rise up from the top of the mountain. To create a Volcanic eruption i.e. the volcano erupts!!!
Vulcan was the father of Caeculus.[12]
Through his identification with the Hephaestus of Greek mythology, he came to be considered as the manufacturer of art, arms, iron, and armor for gods and heroes, including the thunderbolts of Jupiter. He was the son of Jupiter and Juno, and husband of Maia and Venus. His smithy was believed to be situated underneath Mount Etna in Sicily.
To punish mankind for stealing the secrets of fire, Jupiter ordered the other gods to make a poisoned gift for man. Vulcan's contribution to the beautiful and foolish Pandora was to mould her from clay and to give her form. He also made the thrones for the other gods on Mount Olympus.
In Roman religion, Vulcan is the god of beneficial and hindering fire, including the fire of volcanoes. He is also called Mulciber ("smelter") in Roman mythology and Sethlans in Etruscan mythology. He was worshipped at an annual festival on August 23 known as the Volcanalia.
Vulcan was identified with the Greek god of fire Hephaestus.
Time Period: Ancient
Approximate Date of Epic Period: Roman era
Epic Type: Religous
Exhibit Type: Figure, Statue, 3D Art
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