h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

A few words regarding the statue of Vulcan:

It no longer "dominates the city from the summit of Red Mountain," but was taken down in 1999 because it was on the point of literally falling to pieces. There is a fund-raising campaign under way to finance its re-erection, either on the mountain or somewhere else. (This writer is not contributing.)

The bit about Vulcan having been "donated by France" is incorrect; apparently you have him confused with the tall woman in New York. You might have mentioned that he is the largest cast-iron statue ever made, not to mention the ugliest.

He was actually commissioned by the city fathers as the centerpiece for the Birmingham exhibition at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. He stands (or stood) either 54 or 56 feet tall, depending on whom you ask, but in either case he's the largest statue ever made in the United States. He's ugly as sin and clad only in an apron, and has been in danger of falling apart from the time he was first cast by sculptor Giuseppe Moretti. After the St. Louis Fair (where he won a prize), the underdressed Vulcan was unwelcome in downtown Birmingham, so he stood at the Fairgrounds in neighboring Bessemer for some time, holding aloft an ice cream cone, a pickle jar, or a Coca-Cola bottle in place of the original spear. He also seems to have earned his keep at times by wearing a giant advertising sandwich board. His modesty was preserved with the help of painted-on overalls, courtesy of Liberty Trouser Co.

In the 1930s his rusting thumb fell off, and the city considered having him melted down. Instead, in 1935 he ascended a pedestal atop Red Mountain, from which perch his considerable backside, sans overalls, was more noticeably exposed than ever before. His spear has been replaced with a strange sort of lamp thing. Stranger still, the lamp glows green at most times, but switches to red on days when there has been a traffic fatality in Birmingham.

Vulcan was gradually dismantled last year. There is a movement afoot to "bring him back," but some of the city's more zealous Christians would prefer that he remain dismantled. They consider him a pagan idol and have said that as long as Vulcan stood on the mountain, God's wrath would be upon the city of Birmingham.

Some Vulcan links:

http://www.bham.net/VULCAN/
http://www.bham.lib.al.us/Archives/Vulcan/Vulcan.htm
http://www.postherald.com/vulcan.shtml
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/ALBIRvulcan.html
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/southeastern_us/31202

You *must* be from Mountainbrook!!!!!LOL

Speaking of "Pagan gods"........has anyone bothered to notice the fountain at 5 Points South!......it's just over the hill, you know!

NM

i stand corrected on the origins of Vulcan. you are correct, i was wrong...Vulcan was
in fact created for the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri. James A. McKnight, a former manager of the Alabama state Fair and native of Salt Lake City, Utah, originated the idea for the statue. His idea was to promote the city and it's explosive growth using only materials from this area. sadly he was unable to gain the interest of the state for the building of Vulcan. all was not lost though for in 1903 he managed to attract the attention of the Commerce Club (chamber of commerce) and it was at this time that the decision was made to use iron from Birmingham and actually cast the statue here as well. with this being the first time in history that a statue of this size was attempted they found great difficulty when it came to finding an artist to take on this fantastic feat. this did not slow them down too much though as they were already starting the castings while still attempting to raise the needed moneys that would be needed to complete Vulcan. then in 1904, low and behold like an answer to their prayers for help a native Italian, Guiseppi Moretti, agreed to give it a try. while still casting pieces in Birmingham he began taking the parts that were cast to St. Louis to be assembled. they displayed the Vulcan at the Palace of Mines and the Metallurgy at the 1904 World's Fair.
there are some in our area who wish it had stayed there but i am not one of them. i am proud to have this work or art in our area and look forward to the day when the repairs are completed and Vulcan once again rests atop his pillar. i do however wish that they would quit messing with the light in his torch....i understand that the green light means no deaths that day on the roadways and the red light means someone died in a traffic accident but i personally do not think the Vulcans' light is the proper place to display this notice.
monsy

Birmingham is an interesting city for sculpture. It has what I consider the two ugliest statues on the planet - Vulcan, and Electra on top of the Alabama Power building - but also some interesting things. I like Frank Fleming's stuff, such as the 5PS fountain.

The statues commemorating the civil-rights protests are a mixed bag, IMHO. The statue of Fred Shuttlesworth is a good portrait, but the one of King just doesn't look like him. Too portly, or something. The imaginative pieces in Kelly Ingram Park are worth a look - the huge, steel dogs, etc. - but the latest addition to the park is lurid and foolish; I've seen better comic-book art.

The museum in the Civil Rights Institute, though, is outstanding. A person could spend an entire day there, and come back again later. It's creative, challenging, informative, and beautiful; a great experience.

The Art Museum is unusually fine for a city the size of ours. There are some interesting pieces outdoors too. I've thought about touring the city with a camera (mine needs repairs), snapping the sculptures, and making a web page to show them off - the good and the ugly.

I've always thought the fountain at 5P WAS PERFECT. It is a statue of Pan telling stories......not Lucifer calling followers!!!!....But tell that to the locals!LOL

We have not made the local museums....I've had a few passing glances at Lynn ParK.......And the only statue I've noticed Downtown is of the "Dogs".......(Yeah....we need to be reminded of that! If you get to civil rights era on network TV....you can see it.... live...it's the only footage the networks own!)

When is this town going to get over thaT?

I grew up in a much more prejudiced area than this...or so I thought!

After I got here, I discovered that the folks up in Cullman county ain't got sh** on the natives of Jefferson County! At least in Cullman, they're honest about it!

NM

Those who planned and erected the statuary in Kelly Ingram Park are adamant that the shameful deeds of the recent passed should not be 'gotten over'. Some would argue that the hellish snarling hounds take the idea of remembrance to sensational extremes, but I wouldn't call the Civil Rights memorials evidence for the prejudices of the population.

As for Fleming's 'Storyteller,' it depicts neither Lucifer nor Pan, per se, but rather a fantastic vision of a generic ram's headed storyteller and his rapt audience of animals. The imagary does make a 'satanic' reading quite possible, especially when you consider the close-by figure of Brother Bryan kneeling with his face cast upward in beseeching prayer for the souls of Birmingham's stray flock.

Vulcan is supposed to be ugly, by the way. I can't speak for Moretti's talents, but in Greek myth the Olympians never seemed to tire of heaping abuse on Hephaistos the lame forger. Pagan or not, I think the shamed artisan is a fitting symbol for the city.

Electra is hardly ugly, but lithe and graceful in her stylized way.

I do recommend the Museum of Art. None of the collections are astonishing, but they all have strengths which are indeed admirable. The elegant Sargent portrait and the spectacular Bierstadt are particular favorites.

Fans of contemporary scuplture might enjoy exploring UAB's sprawling downtown campus. Their program for scuplture purchases is quite ambitious, though none of what I've seen particularly strikes me. Perhaps more ambitious is the monumental Op Art installation on the front of the Eye Foundation Hospital.

Actually, I quite like the fountain on Southside. I believe Vulcan should be completely restored, as he is a landmark and a rightful symbol of Birmingham.

As far as places to visit, may I suggest the Botannical Gardens. A very lovely place to go!

NM

i enjoy the various statues and sites that birmingham has to offer . this is one thing i like about living close by, there is always something interesting (normally with a fascinating story behind it) to see when you are driving through town.
as for suggestions, might i suggest taking a saturday morning and just driving around via all the little side streets and small communities. my husband (fairly strange) and i do this from time to time and have always found something interesting during our drives. just this past weekend we found a family who were quite creative in their 'yard art'.
the people of birmingham and the surrounding areas are quite artistic and tend to let it show at any opportunity .
btw, i also love the statue of Vulcan, i cannot wait for it to return to its stand again....even if it means we will once again have the 'moon over mountain brook' arguements again .
monsy

Well, if you like the fairly strange (and since you married him, I guess you must) don't miss the Birmingham Corvette empire on First Avenue North (somehwere around 65th Street or so) -- They've put a huge trussed translucent roof over two or three houses and a couple of other buildings on the corner which are all interconnected by elevated walkways for the guard dogs. The buildings surround a covered open courtyard which is cooled by an artificial waterfall on three sides fed from the internal downspouts on the roof. If you visit, be sure to let them know you're not 'with the city' before you ask for a tour. I'm certain not much of the imagineering there meets building codes.

now that sounds interesting ...we will have to pop over there and take a look next time we get out goofing
monsy

Is that over where the house on the corner use to have several Corvettes in the yard.....one up on a ramp?.....If it is, I must go by and see. I haven't been in that area in quite some time, and that sounds very interesting!

NM

As of earlier this summer (2004) the statue of Vulcan has been fully restored with some parts re-cast and erected on a new stainless steel armature and replaced on his original tower, which has been restored to it's 1931 appearance except for the addition of a freestanding elevator shaft and a slightly taller aluminum viewing platform. The park has been beautifully landscaped with a new visitor's center and a new hiking trail along the crest of red mountain has been opened.

visit http://www.vulcanpark.org and http://www.robinsoniron.com for more information.

I have a great fear of heights but did visit Vulcan recently so that I could see the improvements. They did a beautiful job. If you are in the area and have a chance to stop by and visit you will not regret it. The view from the top is amazing esp. at night.
Monsy

I've had occasion to write a quick summary of the history of the Vulcan statue for a history journal at UAB (Univ of Ala at B'ham). It goes with this picture - http://www.bplonline.org/Archives/vulcan/31.90vulcan.htm - a great shot of some of the foundry workers who made the statue. (The Birmingham Public Library gave us permission to use the photo, so don't pretend that you have permission to swipe it just because it's linked here!)

"Workers pose with sculptor Giuseppe Moretti's statue of Vulcan, a symbol of Birmingham for more than a century, and the largest cast-iron statue ever made. Civic leaders commissioned the work for exhibition at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair to promote Birmingham's iron and steel industries. In the years since, the god of the forge has at times been painted, filled with concrete, and used to promote products or to advise motorists of accidents. Since 1939 the statue has stood on a pedestal atop Red Mountain overlooking downtown Birmingham.... Between 2000 and 2004 the beloved landmark was completely dismantled and renovated, restoring it to Moretti’s original design."

The BPL's Vulcan Photo Gallery is worth a look. http://www.bplonline.org/Archives/Vulcan/vulcanphotos.htm