What remains of the fallen Arc of History went up for auction Wednesday morning, but no bids have been placed on Durango’s most controversial piece of artwork.
Four-and-a-half pallets loaded with native rock is all that’s left of the sculpture, which the city is auctioning on publicsurplus.com at a starting price of $250 – less than 1 percent of the sculpture’s original $28,000 price tag.
The Arc was taken down last month from its prominent perch at the intersection of U.S. Highways 550 and 160 near the DoubleTree Hotel after city officials and Arc artist Tom Holmes reached an impasse on repairing it. Vandals broke many of the sculpture’s stones last year, and since then, the city has debated the proper course of action.
The auction is slated to end at 3 p.m. Tuesday, but the bidding window could be extended.