The Vulcan statue of Birmingham, Alabama is the largest cast iron statue in the world and the symbol of the city. Designed by the Italian-born sculptor Giuseppe Moretti , the statue is 55 feet (17 meters) tall and depicts the Roman god Vulcan. It was cast in Birmingham from local iron ore as the city's entry at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri, where it dramatically demonstrated the mineral and manufacturing riches of the Birmingham district. It won the Grand Prize at the Exposition in the Mine and Metallurgy exhibit.

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

It was not until 1939 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 120-ft (37-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.

To take full advantage of Vulcan's position overlooking the City, in 1946 the statue was made into a symbol for road safety by the Birmingham Junior Chamber of Commerce. His spear was replaced by a neon-torch which glowed green, except during the twenty-four hours following a fatal traffic accident, when it glowed red.

To celebrate Birmingham's centenary, the area around the statue was given a million-dollar facelift in 1971. The original tower was clad in Alabama marble with an elevator and observation deck added on. Connected by a covered walkway were a gift shop and snack bar. Unfortunately, the statue itself had, at some point, been filled up to the chest with concrete and had begun to seriously deteriorate. By 1990, an engineering study found that the statue was in danger of collapse.

Vulcan was removed during 1999 for a $14 million renovation process which saw the park and pedestal restored to its original 1938 appearance. The statue itself was thoroughly inspected and repaired, with some parts, including the lost spear point, re-cast. It was re-erected on a steel armature during June 2003, restored to its original appearance as intended by Moretti, and slightly reoriented to the east.

Trivia

• The statue's naked buttocks has 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 was named for the statue, though often assumed incorrectly to be a reference to the race of Vulcans on Star Trek.

External links

• Vulcan Park Foundation
• Vulcan photo archives at the Birmingham Public Library
• Vulcan restoration project site at Robinson Iron