A lightning-damaged sculpture is again a fixture of the Kansas City skyline after undergoing repairs paid for by insurance.
Designed by New York artist R.M. Fischer, their official name is the Sky Station sculptures, although locals call them the “hair curlers.”
Kansas City engineering firm A. Zahner Co. carried out the repairs at a cost more than $1 million. The city’s property insurance covered it.
The Kansas City Star reports that a helicopter returned the 12-ton metal sculpture to its lofty perch on Sept. 18. It’s one of four that sits atop the 300-foot tall pylons that suspend the Bartle Hall Convention Center above Interstate 670.
Workers first noticed the damage last fall while setting up blue lights on the sculptures to celebrate the Kansas City Royals’ winning season.
Inspectors said the damage was caused by lightning and water seepage.
The sculptures were installed in 1994. City Architect Eric Bosch said all four sculptures have built-in lightning rods, so they can accept lightning strikes and ground them. But in this case, the lightning split one of the tubes on the sculpture, and the damage is too severe to fix while it’s perched on top of a convention center pylon.
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