Monday, January 31, 2011

Mercury/ MyWorld

Mercury, Rochester, New York

I've just returned from spending a few days in Upstate New York where this sculpture of Mercury - the Roman god of commerce - is a landmark in the city of Rochester. Made in 1881 of riveted bronze plates, the statue was originally atop Kimball's Tobacco Factory, which later became the City Hall Annex and even later  a branch of the Rochester Public Library. (I don't think we recycle buildings the way we used to!) The statue was removed in the early 1950s when the Kimball's building was torn down.

Its second life atop a newer building

For more than two decades the 21-foot, 700-pound statue was kept in storage. Then in 1974, it was placed atop the structure now known as Aqueduct Building, one block north of its original location.



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46 comments:

  1. Elisa N ViajesJanuary 31, 2011 at 8:15 AM

    Fantastic!
    Have a nice week:)

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  2. eileeninmdJanuary 31, 2011 at 8:38 AM

    Wonderful statue! Glad it reappeared.

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  3. JackJanuary 31, 2011 at 8:40 AM

    That is a pretty interesting biography for the statue. I am surprised by the artist's decision to leave the plates' welding showing without grinding it down. That is why they are artists and I am not . . .

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  4. Small City ScenesJanuary 31, 2011 at 8:45 AM

    this is great. I am glad they found use for him again. We shouldn't ;ose these historic items. good info too. MB

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  5. Leeds daily photoJanuary 31, 2011 at 9:03 AM

    Please that he found a home again, though quite why it took so long in storage before they could find somewhere suitable beats me. I recognised him, partly because he features on the badge of the Royal Signals and I served in the British military for 8 years.

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  6. Cezar and LéiaJanuary 31, 2011 at 9:16 AM

    Mercury is magnificent!
    Léia

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  7. Penelope NotesJanuary 31, 2011 at 9:45 AM

    Hard to believe this impressive heavy weight with wings would be kept in storage for such a long time. No doubt it takes a strong building to hold such a statue. I‘m glad it is out where it belongs ... high above the city crowds!

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  8. HalcyonJanuary 31, 2011 at 9:57 AM

    I'm glad it was not destroyed. It's a lovely piece!

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  9. KateJanuary 31, 2011 at 11:19 AM

    It is good that the statue was preserved, even tho it was hidden from public view for so long.

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  10. GattinaJanuary 31, 2011 at 12:11 PM

    Oh gosh, I think I am sleeping, when I read Mercury I thought it was a statue of Freddy Mercury and wondered that it didn't look like him ! Lol !

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  11. CarverJanuary 31, 2011 at 1:22 PM

    I love the statue of mercury. Fascinating post.

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  12. cieldequimperJanuary 31, 2011 at 1:27 PM

    Positively makes me want to fly!

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  13. LowellJanuary 31, 2011 at 1:39 PM

    Lovely photo of this cool statue! Great colors and your exposure was right on!

    Obviously, you have a mercurial world! (I'll let your look that up to see what it means. Heh, heh! Of course, if you're smarter than I am, you already know!)

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  14. MaboeJanuary 31, 2011 at 3:04 PM

    Beautiful statue!

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  15. Sylvia KJanuary 31, 2011 at 3:04 PM

    Such a beautiful statue and I'm so glad it has been returned to "public life"! Interesting information and I always enjoy that as it gives me a chance to learn something I didn't know! Hope you have a wonderful week!

    Sylvia

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  16. AnimorJanuary 31, 2011 at 3:50 PM

    Its a beautiful statue, great idea to be viewed by the public.

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  17. BirdmanJanuary 31, 2011 at 4:01 PM

    Mercury and his tale a favorite of mine. Love this one.

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  18. JanJanuary 31, 2011 at 4:03 PM

    That's a great sculpture. I'm so glad it's on display again. Great photos for today.

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  19. VPJanuary 31, 2011 at 4:14 PM

    A great statue with a story, I'm glad it has a new location.

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  20. VioletSkyJanuary 31, 2011 at 4:26 PM

    He has quite a history, and stands proudly watching over the city.

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  21. Sallie (FullTime-Life)January 31, 2011 at 4:31 PM

    What an interesting history and I'm so glad that it's not still languishing away in storage -- it's too lovely and with too much history to hide. Thanks for sharing.

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  22. Yogi♪♪♪January 31, 2011 at 4:50 PM

    That's very cool. I love the patina of the scupture and am impressed by your research to get the story behind the statue.

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  23. Kay L. DaviesJanuary 31, 2011 at 4:59 PM

    Glad they got it out of storage.
    Very interesting post for MWT. Thanks!
    -- K

    Kay, Alberta, Canada
    An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

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  24. MarjaJanuary 31, 2011 at 5:05 PM

    A beautiful sculpture like that has to be out there to be seen.

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  25. MarjaJanuary 31, 2011 at 5:05 PM

    A beautiful sculpture like that has to be out there to be seen.

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  26. GeorgeJanuary 31, 2011 at 5:10 PM

    I think it wonderful that this statue was given a second home. It really is a pretty statue. Thanks for all the information about it.

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  27. RedPatJanuary 31, 2011 at 5:12 PM

    I love how the plates have been left visible! Glad that this wonderful piece has been saved.

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  28. BarbaraJanuary 31, 2011 at 5:43 PM

    I am pleased the statue was taken out of storage and given a new place for all to see. It is well worth seeing.

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  29. KathyJanuary 31, 2011 at 6:09 PM

    Love the sculpture. Love the zoom!

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  30. Kris McCrackenJanuary 31, 2011 at 6:40 PM

    Mercury sure must be one busy bee!

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  31. IndraniJanuary 31, 2011 at 7:30 PM

    Good it is on display, looks grand.

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  32. AlJanuary 31, 2011 at 7:49 PM

    Great statue and nice photos!

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  33. Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪January 31, 2011 at 7:54 PM

    one of our power energy company is called Mercury, with this logo. Now I know where it got it's name from.

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  34. Maude LynnJanuary 31, 2011 at 9:09 PM

    What a cool statue!

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  35. CarolJanuary 31, 2011 at 9:43 PM

    Great shots of this statue. Nice to read the history behind it also.

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  36. UnknownJanuary 31, 2011 at 9:43 PM

    Hmmmm I love him, but I am not at all sure about his new resting place being in sympathy!

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  37. EbieJanuary 31, 2011 at 10:03 PM

    very well preserved! It is a beautiful statue.

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  38. AnonymousJanuary 31, 2011 at 11:36 PM

    It's just lovely sitting up there. All too easy to miss though, if you don't look up.

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  39. RandyJanuary 31, 2011 at 11:43 PM

    How wonderful!

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  40. Mike B. @ slugyard.comJanuary 31, 2011 at 11:44 PM

    God of commerce? Did they have one for everything?

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  41. Martha ZJanuary 31, 2011 at 11:47 PM

    At least they put it back to use, that's good.

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  42. BraComFebruary 1, 2011 at 1:28 AM

    Beautiful detail photo, nice statue

    Have a nice week,
    Greetings, Bram

    Link to My Word Tuesday post!

    Seen on My World Tuesday

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  43. FranciscaFebruary 1, 2011 at 4:59 AM

    I didn't know (or remember) Mercury was the god of commerce... Unique sculpt; nice it survived the many moves and the period of hibernation. Super shots, too, EG.

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  44. stardustFebruary 1, 2011 at 6:27 AM

    Nice for Mercury to be displayed again in the fresh air.

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  45. KarenFebruary 1, 2011 at 8:58 AM

    Oh, cool statue. I am glad they recycled it.

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  46. 42NJuly 11, 2012 at 1:10 PM

    What a great idea! I wish they did so around here too.

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