La Grande Vitesse
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June 20th, 1968 Based upon the May 1968 visit, City Planner/Project Coordinator J. Paul Jones was notified that the model was unanimously approved by the Commissioning Panel. June 30th, 1968 A Grand Rapids Press article paraphrased Calder's description of La Grande Vitesse as a “red stabile 40 feet high with wings reaching upward and slender fins anchoring it to the ground”. Sept. 15th, 1968
A Grand Rapids Press article entitled “Calder Sculpture Will Be Spectacular” stated, “The object rests on the ground on six points, and there are two major arches, one 20 feet high and the other 30, so that viewers can walk right through the work while getting a look at its underside”. Fall 1968 In the fall of 1968, Peter M. Wege, Co-Chair of the Vandenberg Sculpture Committee and Secretary of the Board of Directors for Steelcase, got a voluntary commitment of assistance in transporting the sculpture from Phil Catalano of Steelcase. Catalano formed a committee from members of the Grand Rapids Transportation Club. The trucking firms of those Transportation Committee members provided the transport of the sculpture from Detroit to Grand Rapids. March 26th, 1969 The Calder sculpture sailed on a Dutch ship “The Bonita” owned by the Consortium Maritime de Transports, from Antwerp, Belgium. It had been shipped to the port of departure by rail from Biemont Foundry in Tours, France. Before shipment, the final sculpture was fully constructed in the yard at the Foundry and tested for stability. Then it was taken apart again and crated for shipment to the United States. April 1969 Catalano organized the five volunteer firms and drivers to be ready to pick up the sculpture on short notice, whenever the ship arrived. The men of the committee were: James Scripps, Gordon H. Buter, Bill Hooker, J. Hank VanBeak, Robert Stouten, Bob Fahrner. May 1st-5th, 1969 Initial communications suggest an arrival as early at May 1st. Later communications between Mulnix and Oscar Mardel, President of the Consortium, suggested a final arrival around 8 am Monday, May 5th in Detroit. In fact, the ship arrived at the Detroit Harbor Terminal, Inc. on Sunday morning, May 4th, though this wasn't confirmed to Catalano until 10:30 pm that night after Mulnix managed to get in touch with the shippers. May 6th, 1969 The trucks were 55-foot flatbed truck trailer combinations. They met in Detroit Tuesday morning May 6th for the pickup. Due to the excessive width of the cargo, special “oversized” highway permits and extra permissions were necessary. This was a mammoth load. They received a police escort to the highway out of Detroit and into Grand Rapids. Don Bell, Terminal Manager, Special Handling Division of Michigan Express, facilitated the loading of the trucks on the Detroit end. Catalano, Mulnix and Transportation Committee Member Robert Stouten, flew to Detroit in Stouten's plane, along with Clarence Sieswerda of Import-Export Service, who had volunteered assistance in handing the paperwork. May 6th, 1969 5:15 pm The trucks arrived on Ottawa Street in Grand Rapids and were met by a small crowd, the news media, and various members involved in the Calder Project. |
Shown here are several views of La Grande Vitesse by photographer William Hill. Above, a child stands
inside under the sculpture. At top a nighttime view places the sculpture in front of the brightly
lit grid of the City Building. The details show the fins, ribs, and steel planes, with the bolts,
that came together to create the soaring flowing form of La Grande Vitesse. Calder translated the
French name as “the Grand Rapids”, or “the great swiftness”.
The photographs reproduced below are from the Mulnix Collection, including Peter Wege above. The Transportation Club logo above and the Detroit Harbor form at right are from the Philip Catalano Collection.
Interior and exterior views from the Biemont Foundry in Tours, France show the first construction of La Grande Vitesse. Alexander Calder is seen in the image at right. He is standing nearest the sculpture of the three men watching the first piece being put into place. Image from the Mulnix Collection
Above Nancy Mulnix is shown with the small maquette, which was shipped in the crates to assist in the rebuilding of the sculpture in Grand Rapids. In consultation with Calder and the French constructors at Biemont, the Haven-Busch crew, used the French engineering drawings and the maquette to recreate the monumental stable in Vanderberg Center plaza. Image from the Nancy Mulnix Collection
The image at left shows the first piece of the sculpture being put into place on the Vandenberg plaza in Grand Rapids. The center image above shows the parts laid out on the plaza like puzzle pieces. This center view is to the Northwest with Michigan Street hill in the upper left. Above at right, the sculpture stands nearly complete in front of the city and county buildings. Image from the Nancy Mulnix Collection. |
