The Iron Horse will be restored this summer. The popular tourist attraction will be removed after commencement and be reinstalled in the late summer. Local art conservator Amy Abbe will restore and reinforce the piece.
The Iron Horse was gifted to the University of Georgia by Patty Curtis and her daughter Alice Hugel. The sculpture was created by Abbott Pattison, who was an artist-in-residence at the time. He sculpted the horse in 1954 with boilerplate steel.
The sculpture was originally placed in front of UGA’s Reed Hall. After continuous vandalism by students, the sculpture was moved off campus to Highway 15 in Watkinsville, Georgia in 1959. Visiting the site still remains a popular tradition for UGA students.
