At 56 feet in height, Vulcan is the tallest freestanding cast iron sculpture in the world. He was cast in 1903 for display at the St. Louis World’s Fair of 1904. The sculpture, Italian-born Giuseppe Moretti was commissioned by the Birmingham Commercial Club to create the statue as a means of advertising and promoting the ironmaking capability of the City. Moretti sculpted the plaster original in Passaic, New Jersey, which was then transported to the Birmingham Steel and Iron Company for casting purposes. After completion Vulcan was transported via rail to St. Louis, Missouri and erected for the World’s Fair.
In 1905, Vulcan was disassembled and transported back to Birmingham. He remained in a disassembled state until the fall of 1906 when he was erected at the State Fairgrounds in Birmingham’s West End. In 1938 Vulcan was placed on a stone pedestal at the top of Red Mountain where he remained as a powerful symbol of the City until the fall of 1999.
