Learned about this today from belleislehome.blogspot.com – click HERE to read the original post
Here is an amazing write up that Belle Isle Home did about this piece – read HERE
This photo is from March 12th 2004, the last day that Brodhead Armory was open.
It is just insane that such a huge bronze could be jacked like this…
Bronze is about the same scrap value as copper by the way, and is very easy to saw and melt.
This is the last image I took of the bronze, several months ago.
These three details were taken on 05 12 04 – closing day.
Here we go again…
Junkman Jim, proprietor of House of Scrap:
“Hey, Sam! Whadda ya got for me today?”
Scrapper Sam, Owner of Rape-n-Pillage Reclamation Services:
“Well Jim, today my “Uncle” gave me this ‘ol plaque that’s been gatherin’ dust in his basement fer years.
He’s movin’ into a nursin’ home and don’t got no room fer it no more. What kin ya gimme fer it?”
Repeat ad infinitum, ad nauseum.
Cut off their f*ck*ng hands.
Old Skool—We’ve really complicated our “justice” system over the past 200 years. Our ancestors definitely knew how to handle stuff like this, and you know what? Their “simple” solution worked wonders. ;)
Respectfully,
Brian
Disgusting but I would presume that the law of supply and demand is at work here. If some guy shows up at a foundry or scrapyard with a piece of art like this what happens? If you have scruples don’t you ask for a bill of sale or proof of ownership? It can’t be easy melting something like this down. I agree with Brian, make the world one less scrapper.
i wonder if the huge bronze historical plaque about Henry Ford & the assembly line is still sitting loose in the basement of the Highland Park Municipal Blg, or if it already met a similar fate
This is very sad to see. Even for a scrapper, this is low & can never be replaced.
Damn … this was the last place I stopped to visit on the way back from Belle Isle on my final day in Detroit. Sad to see.
Would the last scrapper please turn out the light when they’re done (the one in Hotel Fort Wayne).
That is a lot bigger than it looks in photos too – the remaining marble plaque is over two meters tall, over my head. Look at the door to the left of it in the 6th photo for scale. (That is a large bay door) The bronze must have weighed quite a bit – the ground looks hit, as if the differential of a large truck bottomed out. They yanked it all down like an ATM jacker, so all the concrete and stone fell with it.
Bronze is an alloy which contains mostly copper, so its scrap value is quite high.
Like Hurlbuts head ? lol. Yeah – this is insane.
WTF! Will the city even make an effort to recover this. How long before some of the bronze statues around town start disappearing?
OK, any scrap yard that buys this should be thrown in jail, too. I seriously doubt that they are stealing this to “display.”
Depressing… Too bad you can’t just shoot the scrappers on sight in situations like this.