Downtown stage sculpture construction begins

Advocate staff photo by RICHARD ALAN HANNON -- Michael Temple, left, and Pat Eunice, both with TWA Erectors of Baton Rouge, work to install a 28,000-pound section, the first of 14 pieces, of the new Galvez Plaza stage canopy across from the Old State Capitol Building in downtown Baton Rouge Monday.

Workers began Monday constructing the massive $900,000 sculpture over the Galvez Plaza stage in downtown Baton Rouge, adjacent to the city-parish governmental complex.

The stage canopy, called “The Crest,” will be a 65,000-pound, 35-foot tall, curved oval which will act as both a piece of public art in North Boulevard Town Square and as a functional performance stage cover to hold up lighting and sound equipment.

The sculpture, designed by Trahan Architects, is 16,700 square feet of stainless steel, and is 85 feet in length and 45 wide, said Mark Hash, one of the architects.

The canopy is made up of 14 segments, which will be assembled over the next two weeks. Contractors bolted in the base of the structure, which is the heaviest segment, on Monday, Hash said.

Davis Rhorer, executive director of the Downtown Development District, said the project should be fully complete and ready to be enjoyed by the public in February. He said there will be plenty of time before Live After Five, the downtown concert series, begins in April.

“I wanted a piece that could be a real progressive symbol for the city,” Rhorer said.

He said the sculpture will be an iconic sculpture, one that has been compared to the stainless steel Cloud Gate sculpture in Chicago’s Millennium Park that has been nicknamed the “bean.”

The project was funded through state sales tax rebates dedicated to downtown Riverfront projects. The funds can not be diverted for any other city-parish needs.

The funding was approved by the East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council last year, after extensive debate and concerns from some council members over the cost of the project and questions of whether the sculpture would be structurally sound.

Councilwoman Tara Wicker, whose district encompasses downtown, said the canopy will enhance the blossoming Town Square.

“We’re already seeing the impact of the totality of the downtown projects,” Wicker said. “I’ll be glad when the canopy comes up. It will be a great Christmas gift for the city.”

Comments

1) Comment by Duckyluve - 12/12/2012

Enough of wasting money downtown,,,,what about the rest of the parish? Oh i forgot, downtown is where the mayor spends all his time,,,on and off the clock

2) Comment by Being_Stupid - 11/12/2012

Agree with phil's practical points, but sometimes spiritual things are equally important too. This monument would probably be even more spectacular if the Downtown Library were built too as originally planned. Cannot imagine a St. Louis without an Arch, or Paris without an Eiffel Tower, or United States without a Statue of Liberty. Maybe one day folks won't be able to think of Baton Rouge without a Crest. Only time will tell.

3) Comment by Being_Stupid - 11/12/2012

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4) Comment by wadep66 - 11/12/2012

BRAVO! Please build more.

5) Comment by wadep66 - 11/12/2012

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6) Comment by phil - 11/12/2012

Possibly a good investment when someone else is paying and you are making the profits. How come with all of these new wonderful "investments" my taxes keep going up instead of going down? $900,000 is still a LOT of money where I come from.

7) Comment by wtf-over - 11/12/2012

BR needs more of this! 900k would not make a dent in the crime problem, even if it was used efficiently. Might as well have something to show for it, that also helps to bring in money. Live after five attracts more people with the renovations than it did before. And yes, it did cost money. It was a good investment, and this will be as well.

8) Comment by phil - 11/12/2012

I am wondering why the law cannot be changed so the money can be used for something else.

9) Comment by nimby? - 11/12/2012

in the past dedicated funds have been "diverted" where deemed necessary . DDD , can't touch this .

10) Comment by DMJ - 11/12/2012

"The project was funded through state sales tax rebates dedicated to downtown Riverfront projects. The funds can not be diverted for any other city-parish needs." If you're wondering why the money isn't spent on something else, that's why.

11) Comment by nimby? - 11/12/2012

oh boy , another big pretty shiny thing downtown , "my precious" . will it make the acts look , sound better ? priorities . waited over a year for a ditch not to be cleaned , did it myself , I'm sending in the bill ...

12) Comment by phil - 11/12/2012

Personally If I was the Mayor and someone walked into my office with an idea to build something like this, I probably would have laughed them all the way back to where they came from. "How about all of those bridges that need repairs?" would have been my response.

13) Comment by Being_Stupid - 11/12/2012

Downtown could use a little bit of "Bling-Bling".

14) Comment by phil - 11/12/2012

Being-stupid - not a heart attack but a taste of reality. We are building a stage canopy that will be a gigantic waste of money, and I will call it the big ole downtown lightning catcher. Almost a $million for this one piece of metal. With all of the problems and needs we have in BR, this is a good example of how our politicians can figure out new and creative ways to spend our tax money and just totally ignore real needs. Get ready for another gigantic tax proposition. We get what we vote for, so for those who voted the same leaders in again, I imagine you can expect the same reckless downtown spending in the next 4 years. By the way did you notice that story about the car going into Wards creek. Nice place for a new walking path, right? Who comes up with these ideas?

15) Comment by Being_Stupid - 11/12/2012

CBCS makes a good point. Does anybody remember the Hyatt Regency Kansas City Skywalk Collapse that happened back in 1981? How exactly is this sculpture supposed to be supported again?

16) Comment by Being_Stupid - 11/12/2012

When phil reads this story, he is going to have a heart attack.

17) Comment by DMJ - 11/12/2012

Downtown development is a good investment. The square will pay for itself with conventions, tourism and the related commerce. Just look at how far Downtown has come in the past few years. Look...we spent millions on the River Center rennovations and we made that money back in one year (plus interest) thanks to the Bowling Congress. Relax, everyone. This is a good thing.

18) Comment by Woody - 11/12/2012

that's 900K that could be better spent fighting crime., that is IF baton rouge had a crime problem. all hail kip!

19) Comment by taylor2285 - 11/12/2012

It's not only going to look wonderful and enhance an already great square; it will also help to shield the first few floors of City Hall from view. Can that please be the next building that gets an upgrade from Mr. Trahan?

20) Comment by tradewinns - 11/12/2012

what a waste of money.

21) Comment by CountryBoysCanSurvive - 11/12/2012

A giant stage, if you don't get murdered trying to enjoy it.