Maybe it’s just those of us who work on the Circle who noticed, but the big red crane that has been nesting downtown seemed to turn yellow a few days ago. In fact, the Indiana Department of Administration swapped them right under the Circle Citizen’s nose. The larger 500,000-pound crane returned to R.H. Marlin on the south side, and the smaller yellow machine was brought in to install some light drainage fittings atop the Monument. Water infiltration, after all, was a major contributor to the deterioration of the Victory statue that caused this whole mess.
So we’ll have this yellow bird around for a week or two, and the larger crane will return in the fall when it’s time for the heavy lifting of the statue itself. Repairs to the bronze lady, we’re told, are on schedule.
In the meantime, check out this history of Victory: www.in.gov/iwm/2439.htm. The blueprint alone is worth a visit.