W I N N E R

PR JECTYEARO F T H E

The Church of St. MaryAldermanbury datesfrom the 12th Century.

Following its destruction inthe Great Fire of London, thechurch was redesigned in1677 by the famous architectSir Christopher Wren. In1940, it was gutted byGerman bombers. Only theexterior walls and supportingcolumns survived the fire.

In 1946, WinstonChurchill, who as primeminister led Britain throughWorld War II, made his“Iron Curtain” speech atWestminster College inFulton, Missouri. A year afterhis death in 1965, the war-damaged Church of St. MaryAldermanbury wasdismantled and transportedstone by stone to WestminsterCollege in his honor.Artifacts and informationrelating to Churchill’s lifeand times were later installedin the undercroft of thechurch and are part of TheNational Churchill Museum.

The Museum and one of its majorbenefactors wanted a way to commemorate the65th Anniversary, in 2011, of Churchill’s IronCurtain speech. An unoccupied corner adjacent tothe Museum’s entrance was selected to house asculpture and serve as a ceremonial entrance andprefunction space for the Museum.

The Sculpture Plaza was built byProfessional Contractors & Engineers, Inc. TheHOK Planning Group was the landscape architectand designer. Professional Contractors &Engineers mobilized to the Westminster campuson February 18, 2011. They finished work ontime, just before the dedication of the WinstonChurchill Memorial and Library Sculpture Plazaon May 13, 2011.

The design and construction team as well asthe sculptor completed several onsite reviews andscale studies prior to the initial castings of thesculpture. These studies informed the placement,height, and desired level of detail required in theSculpture Plaza.

detail matters. Muchattention was paid to thearchitectural detailing ofshadow lines and theintersection of materials.The column to which thesculpture is anchored isangled at the top, drawingthe eye upward. The angleallows the sculpture tocantilever outward, creatinga sense of movement in theoutstretched arm.

The landscaping includesfeather reed grass, greenvelvet boxwood, and royalpurple lily turf. Behind thesculpture is a LondonPlanetree. Four solidlimestone Millblockbenches provide seatingfor contemplation.

The Hanover concretepavers that were installed inthe Plaza recall traditionalLondon pavers. Their stronglinear layout serves tovisually connect the street tothe sculpture. The lineardesign is reinforced in thelandscaping.

At night, the space must act as a welcomingspot for pedestrians as well as a beacon forthe campus and surrounding residentialneighborhood. There was originally very littlelight at this intersection, but with the addedlighting bollards at the location of the benchesand a floodlight pole for lighting of thesculpture, the Museum’s entry now conveysan enhanced sense of welcoming.

The key to the success of the plaza is thedelicate combination of the historic, natural,contemporary, and stylized elements. TheWinston Churchill Memorial and LibrarySculpture Plaza achieved the client’s goal ofcelebrating an epic figure on the historicallysignificant site.

“While Churchill sculptures and statues aremany around the world, none capture the ‘IronCurtain’ address and certainly few captureChurchill the man in quite such a dramaticform,” commented Dr. Rob Havers, ExecutiveDirector, The National Churchill Museum. p

Professional Contractors & Engineers, Inc.Winston Churchill Memorial and Library Sculpture Plaza

Fulton, MissouriThe sculpture, which was designed by St.

Louis artist Don Wiegand, depicts the dramaticmoment when Churchill, standing at the podiumat Westminster with his arm raised and speakinginto the microphones in front of him, made hismemorable reference to an “iron curtain.” Thesculpture (an 800 pound bas relief cast in bronze)and the column to which it is anchored rise 13feet off the ground. The column intersects withthe base and both are faced with limestonepanels. In executing the precise and complexgeometry of the intersecting pieces, thecarpenters who formed them demonstrated theirtrue craftsmanship.

The base is engraved with the words, “Witha dramatic gesture, WINSTON CHURCHILLwarned the world--- ‘AN IRON CURTAIN HASDESCENDED ACROSS THE CONTINENT’March 5, 1946 Fulton Missouri.”

A major goal of the project team was toencourage visitor interaction with the sculpture.In a small plaza of only 3,000 square feet, every

G E N E R A L C O N T R A C T O R ( U N D E R $ 1 M I L L I O N )

24 MODERN BUILDER April-June 2012