Earlier today, the long and much anticipated return of an eagle to the southern perch in front of the old City Hall occurred. The original eagle was damaged beyond repair and a new one was created by craftsmen at Accent Limestone in Spencer, Indiana.

How does one replace an 1800 pound bird? Here’s video of the installation, crane and all.


To prepare for the insertion of the eagle, an area was carved inside the large sphere–this is evidently how it was done originally as well. Check out the seam around the remaining original eagle:

and what the carved out portion into which the eagle’s base must fit:

Artists’ names carved into the base of the new eagle “2012 Master Carver Mike Donham, Travis Abrams”

The horse he rode in on:

Before landing:

Picking up for his last flight:

Settling into perch:

Overall, a pretty quick process, masterfully executed. Kudos to the team who did it.

I think we need to have a contest to name the new eagle. Any ideas?