The Hoberman Arch, which was used at the medals plaza in downtown Salt Lake City during the 2002 Winter Olympics, was moved to the south end of Rice-Eccles Stadium at the University of Utah in what is known as the Olympic Cauldron Park. Near the arch there are two frosted poly-carbonate plaques, that reads:
The Hoberman Arch
For all of its shiny steel and intricate mechanisms, the Hoberman Arch
remains a reflection of nature: the iris of an eye, the delicate
membrane of a shell. Inspired by Utah's world-famous Delicate Arch,
it contained, like all creatures, a beating heart. Athletes received
medals in front of the Heroes' Cauldron, lit by the Olympic Flame. The
Hoberman Arch was the centerpiece of the Olympic Medals Plaza and the
most ambitious undertaking in Olympic ceremonial history: a venue
created with the sole purpose of honoring the medalists. Led in by a
Child of Light, they listened to their anthems. Some waved, some
wept, some leaped for joy. This moment would flit by, give way to
headline concerts and fireworks. But as the Olympians gazed out at
the sea of 20,000 fans and the stars above, they savored every second.
In the cradle of the Hoberman Arch, a tribute to the theme Light the
Fire Within and a fitting halo for our newest heroes.
The Heart of the Games
THE FACTS
Hieght: 36 feet
Diameter: 72 feet
Structural panels: 95 panels
(each 9 feet by 5 feet)
Individual machined pieces:
More than 4,000
Steel rivets: 13,000
Power: Two 30-horsepower motors
controlling eight separate cables
Designed by: Hoberman Associates
of New York, New York
"The Hoberman Arch was the centerpiece of the Olympic Medals Plaza in downtown Salt Lake City during the 2002 Winter Olympics. Following the Olympics the arch was moved to the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Cauldron Park where it is now, along with the Olympic cauldron, one the main highlights and an important part of Salt Lake's Olympic legacy.
The arch was designed by Chuck Hoberman to be used as a mechanical curtain for the Olympic Medal Plaza's stage. It is a semi-circular aluminum structure, which opened like the iris of a human eye. The arch design was inspired by Utah's natural stone arches, such as Delicate Arch. At the time of its construction the arch was the largest unfolding structure in the world.
It took Hoberman four months to design the arch (with support from Buro Happold), and another four months for Scenic Technologies of New Windsor, New York to build it. After being constructed in their warehouse in New York it was dissembled and then trucked to Utah. It was reassembled in January 2002, and unveiled to the public and media by the Salt Lake Organizing Committee (SLOC), on January 25, 2002.
When installed at the medal plaza it would open to reveal a large 3D sculpture of the 2002 Olympic logo and a second Olympic cauldron, known as the Hero's Cauldron. The stage not only hosted award ceremonies, where the athletes received their medals, but was used as a concert venue during the Olympics; hosting many performing artists including Creed, Brooks & Dunn and the Dave Matthews Band.
Following the Olympics, plans to install the arch in some kind of park were formulated. Many of Salt Lake's citizens wanted the arch to be used in an amphitheater or some kind of concert venue, possibly at downtown's Gallivan Center or Pioneer Park. But because the arch was a symbol of the 2002 games, the United States Olympic Committee put restrictions on possible future locations for the arch (to protect Olympic sponsors from other businesses who do not have Olympic sponsor contracts). Because of these restrictions, and a lack of consensus among Salt Lake's leaders on where it would go, SLOC announced plans, on December 5, 2002, to install the arch at the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Cauldron Park.
On July 30, 2003, the arch was lifted onto its new permanent base using 3 cranes. It is no longer functional, although it is lit with various colored lights at night. It is located just outside the park's southern fence and is partly open which allows visitors to walk through it.
The arch is 36 feet (11 m) tall, 72 feet (22 m) feet wide, and weighs 31,000 pounds (14,000 kg)[1] It is made up of 4,000 individual pieces put together as 96 connected panels and are connected with 13,000 steel rivets. The 96 panels vary in size, but the largest are 9 feet (2.7 m) tall and 5 feet (1.5 m) wide. The panels are also translucent which allowed light from behind to be seen and echoed the 2002 Olympic theme Light the Fire Within. Two 30-horsepower motors controlled eight separate cables which pulled the mechanical curtain open in about 20 seconds. When the arch was fully opened it had folded up into a 6 feet (1.8 m) ring, which framed the stage.
Because of the potential of strong storms during the games, the arch was built to operate in extreme weather, including up to 70-mile (110 km) -per-hour winds." SOURCE