CLEVELAND, Ohio – A crane hoisted two heroic figures back into place on the Cleveland Fire Fighters Memorial on Tuesday morning, completing restoration of the colorful fiberglass sculpture honoring Cleveland firefighters killed in the line of duty.
The memorial, which was installed in 2007 on Erieside Avenue, outside FirstEnergy Stadium and the Great Lakers Science Center, will be rededicated at 12:30 p.m. Sunday to start the annual St. Patrick’s Day memorial hosted by the Cleveland Firefighters Shamrock Club.
The $50,000 restoration project repaired cracks in the sculpture designed by the late artist Luis Jimenez. The campaign was launched in mid-2017 with a $10,000 donation from businessman and philanthropist Sam Miller, the longtime co-chairman of Forest City Enterprises Inc.
Miller, who died March 7 at 97, had also kicked off the campaign to build the the memorial by donated $50,000 of its original $500,000 cost.
The base of the memorial includes the names of 77 firefighters killed or fatally injured in the line of duty since 1869.
Restoration of the sculpture, which depicts two firefighters aiming a hose at the base of three towering tongues of flame, was overseen by the Cleveland nonprofit ICA Art Conservation and completed by the Akron-based coatings specialist Thomarios.
The memorial committee expects the memorial will not need further repair for another 25 years.
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