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Winged Figures of the Republic – by Oskar Hansen

In fact there are three sculptures by Oskar Hansen at the Hoover Dam..
Winged Figures of the Republic
Terrazzo Floor with Celestial Star Map
Compass with Zodiac Signs
Memorial Plaque honoring thew Hoover Dam dead.
Bas Reliefs on Elevator Towers
Other sculptures include:
Dam High Scaler Monument – by Steven Liguori
Dog of the Dam Tomb

For Hoover Dam and Hoover Dam bypass [Mike O’Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge].. click here..

Much of the Memorial Art around the Hoover Dam is by Oskar Hansen – a Norwegian-born, naturalized American sculptor – who was appointed for the job after an open competition. The work includes the memorial plaque on the canyon wall of the Arizona approach to the dam, the huge bronze winged figures on the Nevada side of the dam, and the inscriptions on the elevator towers. Most prominent among these is the winged figures on the Nevada side of the dam.

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Hansen fielded many questions about his work while it was being installed at the dam. In response to those questions, he later wrote about his interpretation of his sculptures.
To Hansen, “the sculpture on the Hoover dam adorn a major structure of our times. The Hoover Dam represents the building genius of America in the sense as the Pyramids represent the ancient Egypt, the Acropolis that of classical Greece, the Colosseum that of Imperial Rome, and the Chartres Cathedral that of brooding religious fervor which was Gothic Europe…. Each in turn is a monument to collective genius exerting itself in community effort around a common need or ideal.”

Artwork around Hoover Dam includes, winged figures [on Nevada side of dam], memorial plaque [on Arizona side of dam ] and inscriptions on the elevator towers.

Hansen’s principal work at Hoover Dam is the monument of dedication on the Nevada side of the dam. Here, rising from a black, polished base, is a 142-foot flagpole flanked by two winged figures, which Hansen calls the Winged Figures of the Republic. They express “the immutable calm of intellectual resolution, and the enormous power of trained physical strength, equally enthroned in placid triumph of scientific accomplishment.”

WINGED FIGURES Of THE REPUBLIC:
“The building of Hoover Dam belongs to the sagas of the daring. The winged bronzes which guard the flag therefore wear the look of eagles. To them also was given the vital upward thrust of an aspirational gesture; to symbolize the readiness for defense of our institutions and keeping of our spiritual eagles ever ready to be on the wing.”

The winged figures are 30 feet high. Their shells are 5/8-inch thick, and contain more than 4 tons of statuary bronze. The figures were formed from sand molds weighing 492 tons. The bronze that forms the shells was heated to 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit, and poured into the molds in one continuous, molten stream.

The figures rest on a base of black diorite, an igneous rock, quarried near Santa Ana, California. In order to place the blocks without marring their highly polished finish, they were centered on blocks of ice, and guided precisely into place as the ice melted. After the blocks were in place, the flagpole was dropped through a hole in the center block into a predrilled hole in the mountain.

TERRAZZO FLOOR with CELESTIAL MAP: Surrounding the base is a terrazzo floor, inlaid with a star chart, or celestial map. The chart preserves for future generations the date on which President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated Hoover Dam September 30, 1935. The apparent magnitudes of stars on the chart are shown as they would appear to the naked eye at a distance of about 190 trillion miles from earth. In reality, the distance to most of the stars is more than 950 trillion miles.

In this celestial map, the bodies of the solar system are placed so exactly that those versed in astronomy could calculate the precision (progressively earlier occurrence) of the Pole Star for approximately the next 14,000 years. Conversely, future generations could look upon this monument and determine, if no other means were available, the exact date on which Hoover Dam was completed.

Also marker on the star chart are momentous historical periods. marked in terrazzo is the position of a pyramid [2700 BC] when Thuban was the pole star of ancient Egyptians. The incarnation of our Lord, making the beginning of Christian Era, is indicated midway between the location of Thuban and Polaris

COMPASS AND ZODIAC SIGNS: Near the figures and elevated above the floor is a compass framed by the signs of the zodiac.

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Inbetween the two winged figures is the flagpole. The inscription a the the base of the flagpole reads..
It is fitting that the flag of our country should fly here in honor of those men who inspired by a vision of lonely lands made fruitful, conceived this great work and of those others whose genius and labor made that genius a reality.

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The figures have weathered to a green patina. However the feet are rubbed gold because folklore has it that if you rubbing the feet brings good luck.

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At the base of the winged figures is a terrazzo floor, which is inlaid with a star chart, or celestial map. The chart preserves for future generations the date on which President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated Hoover Dam, September 30, 1935.

The apparent magnitudes of stars on the chart are shown as they would appear to the naked eye at a distance of about 190 trillion miles from earth. In reality, the distance to most of the stars is more than 950 trillion miles.

In this celestial map, the bodies of the solar system are placed so exactly that those versed in astronomy could calculate the precision (progressively earlier occurrence) of the Pole Star for approximately the next 14,000 years. Conversely, future generations could look upon this monument and determine, if no other means were available, the exact date on which Hoover Dam was dedicated.

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Compass with Zodiac Signs
To the right of the Winged Figures is an elevated compass with the signs of the zodiac surrounding it.

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Memorial to Hoover Dam Dead – by Oskar Hansen
Oskar Hansen also designed the plaque commemorating the 96 men who died during the construction of the dam.

The construction of Hoover dam took five years, from 1930 to 1935. Over twenty-one thousand men worked on the dam and at the peak, five thousand, two hundred men were on the payroll. Construction went on 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Like in of the early 20th century construction projects in treacherous terrain, men died at Hoover Dam. They fell from sheer rock forces, drowned in water, succumbed to dynamite explosions and equipment accidents.

A low-relief memorial panel by sculptor Oskar J. W. Hansen was dedicated in 1935. it shows a male emerging from waves in front of the dam. A thunder cloud spits lightning bolts, stalks of grain sprout, and fruits and vegetables flourish. The monument states:

“They died to make the desert bloom. The United States of America will continue to remember that many who toiled here found their final rest while engaged in the building of this dam. The United States of America will continue to remember the services of all who labored to clothe with substance the plans of those who first visioned the building of this dam.”

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BAS-RELIEFS on ELEVATOR TOWERS:
BAS-RELIEFS on Nevada Elevator Towers: The five bas-reliefs on the Nevada elevator tower, done in concrete, show the multipurpose benefits of Hoover Dam flood control, navigation, irrigation, water storage, and power.

BAS-RELIEFS on Arizona Elevator Towers: On the Arizona elevator tower is a series of five bas-reliefs, also in concrete, depicting “the visages of those Indian tribes who have inhabited mountains and plains from ages distant.” Accompanying the illustrations is the inscription, “Since primordial times, American Indian tribes and Nations lifted their hands to the Great Spirit from these ranges and plains. We now with them in peace buildeth again a Nation.”

 

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OTHER SCULPTURES at HOOVER DAM

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Dam High Scaler Monument – by Steven Liguori
The statue was installed in 1998, and hangs against a dramatic cliff face. The bronze figure was created in the 1990s by sculptor Steven Liguori, in conjunction with a group of concessionaires who operate the businesses on government property around the landmark. The statue was based on a photo of one of the last of the high scalers then alive Joe Kine.

This larger-than life sculpture of a man scaling a rock wall represents a “high scaler.” In the 1930s, these fearless dam workers would dangle hundreds of feet in the air, armed with jackhammers to jar loose rocks, and dynamite to blast away at the canyon walls. Lots of men died in this occupation and others in creating the immense structure.

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Dog of the Dam: The Hoover dam construction crew’s mascot was found as a puppy by workers at the construction camp. The dog traveled to and fro from the damsite with them and spent his days visiting the many work areas. On February 21, 1941, the life of this devoted animal came to an end when a truck under which he was sleeping rolled over him. The grave below was completed by the workers on the same day.

 

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For Hoover Dam and Hoover Dam bypass [Mike O’Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge].. click here..

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Image copyright © Jyoti Srivastava

 

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