Visitors can see Alexander Calder’s iconic outdoor sculpture “La Grande Vitesse” on permanent display on Calder Plaza in front of the Grand Rapids, Michigan city hall. In the 45 years since this 42-ton steel sculpture was first installed, it’s presence has helped to revitalize a formerly run-down area and spark civic pride.

So successful has the Calder sculpture been in helping to brand the city that it’s on official city stationery, city vehicles, street signs and more. The sculpture succeeded wildly as a magnet to draw the forces of revitalization. Not long after it was installed, the area got a civic center, a symphony hall and a new structure for its art museum.

By the spring of 1967, the northern part of downtown Grand Rapids was an eyesore that had been marked for urban renewal. The city hall, police headquarters and other municipal buildings were slated to be torn down and replaced with new structures.

“La Grande Vitesse,” which means “the great swiftness” in French, was the nation’s first public sculpture jointly financed with public and federal funds. The $45,000 federal grant came from the newly created National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). A local committee of civic-minded people headed by Nancy Mulnix and Peter Wege raised an additional $83,000. Calder (1898-1976), one of the pre-eminent sculptors of the twentieth century, was tapped for the job. He had won the grand prize for sculpture at the prestigious Venice Biennale in Venice, Italy in 1952.

The red sculpture is 54 feet long, 43 feet high and 30 feet wide. Before creating it, Calder studied the area near the proposed city hall. He carefully noted the building materials and size of the nearby buildings. His sculpture intentionally presented a different view to the viewer depending on where the viewer stood.

The sculpture arrived in 27 unassembled pieces in Grand Rapids in May 1969. Using a crane to lift its heavy pieces, the assembly was complete in five days. Crowds flocked to watch the installation. After the pieces were in place, the artwork was painted red. Calder attended the dedication on June 14, 1969. In the art world “La Grand Vitesse” is classed as a stabile. That is, it’s an abstract sculpture (typically made from sheet metal) that looks like a mobile but has no moving pieces.