DENVER — When people make it down to Coors Field for opening day, they may notice a sculpture that's stood outside the stadium for a long time has disappeared.
For now.
The project was inspired by humor that welcomed thousands of Rockies fans for more than 25 years.
"They wanted a statement piece, so it started as a joke," local artist Lonnie Hanzon said. "We started in 1994 and completed it in 1995."
He created the "Evolution of the Ball" sculpture that spanned the 20th Street pedestrian bridge leading into Coors Field in lower downtown Denver.
"There's home base, second, third in terms of panels," Hanzon said. "And there are 108 terracotta panels because there are 108 stitches in a baseball."
Hanzon says he was happy to see baseball fans interact with his artwork for years, until he saw plans for a new development.
"I saw a big rendering of McGregor [Square] and the sculpture wasn't there," he said. "And I thought, 'That's an awfully big object to leave out of a drawing.'"
His fears were not unfounded. The sculpture now sits at an off-site location, but Hanzon said he was told the structure will be installed by the end of the year.
"Then we started the negotiation to save it and get it moved to a proper place," he said. "We've been promised that it will be up by December 31 of 2022."
Hanzon says he hopes his sculpture will endure for generations and make more baseball fans smile for many years to come, because it wouldn't be funny if it just disappeared.
"You get a very big audience with public art and that's a real blessing," he said. "I must admit, it was not an easy process. I think it's really wonderful that the Rockies decided to do the right thing and put it back close to where it belongs."
Hanzon said the "Evolution of the Ball" sculpture was a tribute to the Mizpah Arch that stood for years a century ago outside Union Station, just a few blocks away.
"I'm really looking forward to seeing it back again," he said.
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