Vulcan Statue
Street address:
151 Vulcan Park Dr.
Birmingham, AL 35203
Phone:
205-933-1409
Fax:
205-933-1776
Mailing:
151 Vulcan Park Dr.
Birmingham, AL 35203
Discount:
senior, group, child
Admission:
Admission charged
Largest cast-iron statue in world, 2nd largest in U.S. (after Statue of Liberty). Created for 1904 World's Fair, representing industrial might of Birmingham. 10-acre park, outdoor observation balcony overlooking city, visitor education center.
The statue was built for display at the 1904 St. Louis Exposition and returned to Birmingham.
The statue was installed atop a pedestal, with observation tower, at Vulcan Park, part of a WPA-funded project in 1936-37.
Some local citizens were dismayed with the statue's naked posterior. Some apparently remain so. The gift shop once sold coffee mugs and t-shirts imprinted "Buns of Iron" but removed them as a result of complaints, we are told.
Since the backside of the statue faced the community of Homewood, some local wags called the statue "Moon Over Homewood."
The statue began to display signs of decay (rust) and was disassembled, removed from its pedestal, in late 1999. The City of Birmingham paid for the disassembly.
One newspaper report placed restoration cost in the range of $16 million, a figure which includes rebuilding the surrounding park.
Accessibility:
Mobility Impaired (ramps, elevators)
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