ST. LOUIS – After more than 100 years after hosting the Olympic games, a momentous step to commemorate the event was achieved Wednesday in St. Louis.
“It’s a great culmination to finally be able to embrace our Olympic legacy," said Michael Loynd, voluntary chair of the St. Louis Olympic Legacy Committee.
The St. Louis Sports Commission and Washington University announced over the winter that they would finally be allowed to install memorials throughout the city celebrating the 1904 Olympics. That was the year St. Louis became the first American city to host the Games. The cutting of the first statue to be installed at Wash U began Wednesday morning at L.E. Sauer Machine Co.
“We’re just glad to be part of it," said Warren Sauer, owner of L.E. Sauer Machine Co.
“It should last a long time. It's made it out of good materials," he said.
The 'Olympic Spectacular' will be installed across from Wash U's Francis Field, which was the epicenter of the 1904 Games. Wednesday's cutting was made of solid stainless steel which will be welded together later this summer.
“Most people don’t even realize that we had the Olympics. And if they do, there’s nothing," said Loynd. "Being in the ‘Show Me’ state, there’s nothing to show me."
“If you really think about it it’s really been about 114 years in the making since the Olympics," he said.
The St. Louis Sports Commission has been tugging at the International Olympic Committee for nearly a decade, asking them for permission to use their Olympic-rings logo to commemorate key spots in St. Louis from the Games in 1904.
The 'spectacular' is set to be installed August 20. The IOC allows for two locations. The second location is yet to be determined, but there will also be smaller memorials set on August 20 throughout the city commemorating other key happenings from 114 years ago.
To say organizers are excited is an understatement.
“Now we finally have something people can point to and celebrate and embrace and be excited about," said Loynd.
The Wash U monument will be 16-feet wide and 9-feet tall.
“It's a landmark piece in our city that will be up forever," said Ed Brimer, owner of Engraphix, who is fabricating the monument. "It's a source of pride to be able to manufacture something of this high profile and stature."
The other Olympic markers will be located at Forest Park, Creve Coeur Lake Park and Glen Echo Country Club, along with the 1904 Olympic marathon route, the first modern Olympic marathon.
The entire project will cost roughly $300,000, made possible through donations.
