After 50 years in downtown St. Louis, a high-profile piece of public art is returning home. “Synergism” will move from the U.S. Bank Plaza downtown to Chesterfield, and the 20-mile trip is no simple endeavor. Fabricators, engineers, concrete contractors, and crane operators are coming together to repair and relocate the cube-shaped sculpture for a successful homecoming.
The sculpture was originally fabricated in 1976 by Wayne Swisher at Scopia Studios, just a short distance from where it will be reinstalled near the Chesterfield Amphitheater. Artists William Conrad Severson and Saunders Schultz envisioned the sculpture on commission from Mercantile Bank, which has since been acquired by U.S. Bank.
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The fabricator’s daughter, Terri Swisher, recalls her father’s pride in the piece. “He had welded the whole thing and polished it, so he was really proud that it didn’t have any seams that showed in the welding. He just made it so perfect, and of course, it was a big, big hit,” she says.
The cube’s shiny, metallic exterior mirrors its surroundings, inspiring the title “Synergism” as the structure seamlessly integrated in and elevated its surroundings. Those surroundings will change beginning Saturday morning, when Washington Avenue will be partially closed as the sculpture is transported for repairs.
Jason Baucom, superintendent of arts and entertainment for the City of Chesterfield, says the sculpture will be installed at the entrance of Chesterfield’s Central Park. MAP Property Holdings, which owns US Bank Plaza, donated the sculpture; the City of Chesterfield is financing the repair and relocation process, with an approximate cost of $75,000, Baucom says.
The refabrication is being led by BLA Studios, founded by former “Cassilly Crew” members Dave Blum, Joe Bacus, and Leef Armontrout who learned their trade working at City Museum. A number of experts are joining the relocation and restoration effort, including Custom Service Crane, SSC Engineering, and Always Hard Concrete, owned by Brian Bedwell, Blum’s partner at Sk8 Liborius.
Darren Rudolph, the operator and manager at Custom Service Crane, explains that many factors influence how the transportation process will play out. The amount of water accumulated inside the sculpture determines how the crane handles its weight, but will only be known once they start the removal process.
The water accumulation is one of the many “known unknowns,” as Blum calls it, that come with taking on projects as unorthodox as relocating “Synergism.” Blum prides himself on BLA Studios’ reputation of doing “big, weird, crazy stuff.” “We get called on to do projects that other people aren’t exactly sure how to handle,” he says—including many public art projects, which Blum has great enthusiasm for.
“A lot of times art is inaccessible to a lot of people. It’s like art museums and galleries…but having interesting, beautiful things that people can see and engage with in their regular daily life is important. I mean, it makes life worth living,” he says.
Baucom anticipates welcoming the sculpture to Chesterfield this summer. Terri Swisher says she, and her four brothers, eagerly await its unveiling.
“It’s just amazing that it’s still around, it’s being presented this way. [We are] just very proud of dad,” Terri Swisher says.
Editor’s note: A previous version referred incorrectly to the entity that donated the sculpture to Chesterfield. It was MAP Property Holdings, which owns US Bank Plaza, not US Bank. We regret the error.
