The eagle has landed (again) at L.A.'s Natural History Museum

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County finally has its eagle statue back, and it took only 89 years.

When the museum first opened in 1913, a 6-foot eagle statue stood patriotically atop the main building entrance, which faces east and overlooks Exposition Park. But the magnificent statue was not long for this world. On June 20, 1920, a "rather violent earthquake" caused part of the eagle to break off and crash onto the steps below, according to archival documents.

For several months, "part of the broken wing stayed in place, swinging in the wind and terrifying visitors going up the steps." The museum eventually removed the remnants of the statue, and the building has remained eagle-less ever since.

Today, the museum unveiled its new eagle statue, sitting approximately 50 feet high in the spot where its ill-fated predecessor was perched. At 6 feet tall and with a wing span of 7 feet, the bird was built entirely from scratch by San Pedro sculptor Mike Hosch.

Photographic evidence of the original eagle is scarce, but the museum has a few black-and-white long-shot photos of the bird, which it gave to Hosch so he could replicate the general design. The new eagle, cast at Moonlight Molds in Gardena, is made of terra cotta like the original, but it also has fiber reinforcement and an internal steel skeleton to strengthen it against future earthquakes.  The bird actually floats a few inches above its perch and is supported by a steel beam welded to the structural frame of the building. (The original sat precariously on the building with little structural support.)

The new eagle took a year and a half to plan and build at a cost of $75,000, according to Don Webb, a project manager overseeing the museum's ongoing renovations.

Culture Monster took a ride to the top of the museum today for an up-close encounter with the statue. While we were there, we noticed that the construction crew had welded a U.S. quarter to the bird's forehead -- eagle side up, of course.

Below are more impressive shots of the museum's latest addition.

-- David Ng

Photos: The Natural History Museum's new eagle statue. Credit: Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[George W]

Somebody has to remove that coin from the eagle's forehead. DIsgusting!!!

[Zachary]

$75,000

[Brian B.]

$75,000 for an eagle when they are laying off people left and right. It this what our county and state money really pays for? Supervisors and state officials should be ashamed!

[Jenn]

Wait. Do people think that they set $75,000 on fire and out of the ashes rose this eagle? From what I'm reading, the creation of this eagle created jobs. Sure, it was the working class that were paid instead of office types. From what I read, a sculpter, construction workers, and currators. And yes, they created something that will be enjoyed by thousands of people for a hundred years instead of a ream of paperwork. Sorry, I just think that these workers deserve to pay their bills just as much as anyone else. When I look around at the graffitti covering Los Angeles and the destruction of our city's murals, I think it is time that we start remembering that things of beauty had human hands behind them. I applaud this institution for saying art has value.

[Mike Barlow]

Good article with one exception. The eagle is not made of terra cotta, but instead cast from FRP, which is fiber reinforced polyester. This was done to satisfy the weight restrictions of a piece this size. The internal frame is 3" tube steel which was then hot dipped galvanized. The cast piece was then painted to match the original terra cotta material.

Mike Barlow,
Prod. Mgr., Moonlight Molds Inc.

[sc]

Price should be $75,000.25. Projects like this are usually funded by private donations and not public funds. It takes a fair amount of people for even a simple project like this, sculptors, fabricators, welders and carpenters. I rather see theese people working than colecting unemployment.

[Steve Shriver]

In response to a couple of the comments below, the quarter was placed there to cover the hole left when the steel eyelet for lifting the sculpture was removed after it was in place. I know this because I painted the eagle while it hung from said eyelet at Moonlight Molds factory. I was one of (at the very least) 10 people who got work from this project, and I am very grateful for that work. In my opinion, it was money well spent.