Around 2005 they had to temporarily move Jerusalem's 65-ton Calder sculpture a few blocks away so they could build an underground car park for the future light rail passengers.
The terminus of the tram would be right there, on top of Mt. Herzl.
On the night of March 12, 2008 two huge cranes slowly moved it back (in three pieces) to Holland Square, the original location, the one that the artist had chosen.
See a slideshow of how they did it at the Jerusalem Foundation website.
In the following months it got a fresh coat of Calder red, a stone plaza with stone benches was built, and lights were installed.
Enlarge the picture above to see it being worked on in 2008.
Eventually everything was in place, neat and tidy; but it never attracted people.
Everything was steel, stone, and concrete.
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Guess what! This is how it looks NOW, for the last few months!
Everything is torn up again.
I have no idea what the plan is.
Apparently something greener, softer, shadier, and more inviting.
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Meanwhile the small crew of Arab workmen built themselves a wood and plastic shelter, a booth where they can have a smoke, boil some Turkish coffee, and warm up.
And then go out and dismantle the plaza some more.
The winter wind can be fierce up there when it sweeps in from the valley.
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The deep Soreq Valley cuts through the Jerusalem Hills.
Some say that the sculpture, called "Homage to Jerusalem--Stabile," is meant to mimic the contours of the hills.
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Here are the American artist-engineer Alexander Calder's initials and the year he created this stabile.
(Oh, and there's the tram in the station, too.)
His sculpture was installed in Jerusalem the next year, 1977, but Calder did not live to see that fine moment.
I hope we will all live long enough to see the completion of all the digging and re-digging and construction and balagan (mess, chaos) along Herzl Boulevard.
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(More posts about the Calder are here.)
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