The statue of Ernie Banks is now in much better shape to play two.
The 300 pound statue normally placed outside Wrigley Field was on the campus of Bradley University to get a makeover. Sculptor Lou Cella noticed the three year old bronze statue was turning green and asked the Cubs if it could be fixed.
He then turned it over to a four week old business owned by two Bradley graduates called the Hot Scotsmen Fine Art Foundry in Washington, Illinois. Kyle Chipman had worked with Cella before on other projects, including the Ron Santo statue, and Cella liked his work. This is the first project for his business with Corey Kinsman. The two say they hope it is the beginning of several more projects to come.
The statue is now getting some blue added to the uniform to make it look more like the design of the Ron Santo statue.
The total restoration of Ernie Banks statue took about six hours. It will soon be returned to its post outside the Addison Street side of Wrigley Field.
