Dropped by crane onto its pedestal Monday afternoon, the
1,700-pound bronze sculpture of Hiram Morgan Hill and his family is
set to greet visitors at the Depot Street Caltrain station.
Morgan Hill – Dropped by crane onto its pedestal Monday afternoon, the 1,700-pound bronze sculpture of Hiram Morgan Hill and his family is set to greet visitors at the Depot Street Caltrain station.
The $100,000 sculpture will be unveiled at a celebration of the newly revitalized Depot Street from 1 to 3:30pm, Sunday, April 29, near the corner of Third and Depot streets.
The non-profit Morgan Hill Community Foundation and the city of Morgan Hill are sponsoring the free event, which will include refreshments, appearances by state and local officials and a performance by the Morgan Hill Wind Symphony.
The celebration’s highlight will be the unveiling of the sculpture titled “Waiting for the Train,” a project sponsored by the Morgan Hill Community Foundation and the Morgan Hill Redevelopment Agency.
Dave Reisenauer, president of the Morgan Hill Community Foundation, said the life-sized piece is intended to foster civic pride and promote art in public places.
“We wanted something our children could visit and learn more about the history of Morgan Hill,” Reisenauer said.
The sculpture depicts one of the area’s founding families – Hiram Morgan Hill, his wife Diana and their daughter Diane – waiting for a train, circa 1896.
Local sculpture artist Marlene Amerian came up with the concept and donated her time in creating the art piece.
“I wanted to create an awareness of Morgan Hill’s historical roots,” said Amerian, who has lived in Morgan Hill for 30 years. “It’s an educational piece, but it is also a very human piece. You’re looking at a part of the past coming alive.”
Amerian began sculpting in 1985 after establishing herself as a dedicated painter. She holds a master’s degree in sculpture from San Jose State and has studied sculpture anatomy at Scottsdale Artists’ School in Scottsdale, Ariz., and Loveland Academy of Fine Arts in Loveland, Colo.
Working with oil-based clay that never fully dries, Amerian slowly brought her vision to life. She researched the time period of her characters and used live models to help her recreate the scene she had in mind. After 18 months of chiseling, the pieces were cast in bronze at a Monterey foundry.
“It took a long time, but it’s been a fulfilling process,” Amerian said. “It doesn’t belong to me now, it belongs to the community.”
The installation of the sculpture marks the end of the city’s $5 million Depot Street revitalization project. Funded by the Morgan Hill Redevelopment Agency and a grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, construction on the project was completed earlier this year.
DEPOT ST. UNVEILING
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A life-sized bronze sculpture of Hiram Morgan Hill, his wife Diana and their daughter Diane, titled “Waiting for the Train,” will be unveiled at a celebration for the official re-opening for Depot Street from 1pm to 3:30pm, Sunday, April 29, at the Depot Street Caltrain station.
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The free event will feature refreshments, appearances by state and local officials and a performance by the Morgan Hill Wind Symphony.
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The $100,000 sculpture, weighing 1,700 pounds, was sponsored by the Morgan Hill Community Foundation and the Morgan Hill Redevelopment Agency.
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The $5 million Depot Street renovation was funded by the Morgan Hill Redevelopment Agency and a grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.
