High Iron
Dimensions249 cm x 282 cm x 183 cm
Materials Sandblasted glass, bronze, wood
Collection Jack Resnick and Sons, New York City
Materials Sandblasted glass, bronze, wood
Collection Jack Resnick and Sons, New York City
This sculpture represents the topping off ceremony that occurs when the last steel beam on the top floor of a high-rise building is swung into place. This event began in Germany when the ridge pole of a barn was put into place. The iron workers on the very early skyscrapers in the USA were German and they initiated this use of a small pine tree, flag, and the signatures of the workers on the beam to bring good luck to the building.