February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Hailed as the highest sculpture in the world, the 124-ton, 394-foot-high stainless steel structure has been designed by British architect, Ian Ritchie, to last 500 years.
It was chosen from 205 entrants in a worldwide competition to be the centerpiece of a euro 400 million facelift for O’Connell Street that is being remodeled to resemble a Parisian boulevard.
Thousands thronged the street and applauded as the sixth and final section of Ritchie’s creation was gently lowered into place on top.
Though officialdom calls it the Dublin Spire, locals have coined a variety of nicknames. The “Spike” seems to be the most popular.
Ritchie’s inspiration was a 21st century interpretation of a standing stone that would symbolize optimism, reaching for the sky and the country’s future.
Since Dec. 18, engineers have been using “weather windows” when winds have been light to erect sections of the Spire using the country’s biggest crane.
It stands seven times the height of surrounding buildings and twice as high as the capital’s tallest building, Liberty Hall.
It was to have been erected at the height of the Celtic Tiger boom in Millennium Year but has been dogged by delays caused by a court challenge, planning problems and technical difficulties.
It stands opposite the GPO on the former site of Nelson’s Pillar. In 1966, republicans blew up the pillar and toppled Britain’s naval hero Admiral Horatio Nelson from his perch. The city has been searching for a replacement landmark ever since.
Lord Mayor Dermot Lacey, who was one of 14 of the city’s 52 councilors who originally voted against the Spire plan, is being won over.
“I didn’t like the idea at the time,