Sparks flew at the base of the Arc of History early Friday as a city crew used a torch to cut through the sculpture’s metal base.

In the course of an hour, the damaged Arc was removed, leaving a short metal stump at the U.S. Highway 550/160 intersection.

The city’s Public Art Commission decided to remove the sculpture two years after its installation because the city did not expect to have enough insurance money to repair it after serious vandalism. Last year, some of the Arc’s rocks were destroyed, likely with a pick ax or rock pick.

Crews attempted to remove the Arc on Sept. 9, but epoxy between the bottom of the sculpture and the concrete base made it impossible to budge.

This time, crews secured the Arc to the boom of a front loader with chains and straps around 3 a.m. before cutting through the base with a torch.

When a crew member directed the driver of the front loader to “give it a wiggle,” it broke free, tipping dramatically.

After it leveled out, a worker secured one end with a chain to help guide it, and it was loaded on the back of a trailer.

By 3:30 a.m., workers were ratcheting down chains to secure it to a trailer.

Director of City Operations Levi Lloyd estimated the cost of removal would be less than $1,500, including staff time and use of city equipment.

The city will store the Arc until the Public Art Commission decides its fate. The board delayed a decision so it could be evaluated after its removal.

The group had discussed auctioning it off or recycling the materials.

At the August meeting, Chairwoman Cristie Scott expressed concern about auctioning off a broken sculpture.

The first attempt to remove the sculpture left it further stripped of its stones, exposing more of the metal frame.

The group decided to move forward with plans to remove the sculpture after the artist, Tom Holmes, dropped his threat to sue the city.

The Visual Artists Rights Act might have required the city to repair the sculpture, but the law is somewhat unclear on that point, said the artist’s lawyer, Kenneth Golden.

Holmes emailed a final statement on the sculpture to the Herald the same day the legal matter was dropped.

It read in part:

“The project is now made whole for all to witness, as it fades from memory. A re-build would have distracted from the responsibilities the people, the city and the stones have all played in this unfolding drama.”

mshinn@durangoherald.com