The iconic, beloved Tin Man in south suburban Oak Forest, ordered down from its rooftop home nearly four years ago, has been given the thumbs up to return.
“I’ve never had to do anything quite as bizarre as this,” said Tim Willson, adding that he wouldn’t have fought for the Tin Man if he didn’t have so much community support. “Finally we prevailed.”
Willson owns King Heating and Air Conditioning, where the Tin Man was perched on the roof, welcoming drivers along bustling Cicero Avenue for about 35 years.
Willson removed the Tin Man in 2006 to remodel his business and give the sign a fresh coat of paint. When he put it back up days later, city officials said it violated a revised sign ordinance that called for the Tin Man to be raised 5 feet off the roof.
At 6-foot-6, more than 80 pounds and made of sheet metal, the Tin Man had stood on its two feet and previously had grandfather status that exempted it from the ordinance.
Willson removed the Tin Man with an elaborate funeral in 2007. About 75 people attended. Taps was played. He’s been fighting for the Tin Man’s return ever since, hauling it to cancer walks, high school football games and parades.
On Tuesday, the City Council unanimously approved a variance that will allow the Tin Man to return. Willson said he plans to celebrate by giving away furnaces and air conditioning units to the needy in Oak Forest.
In recent weeks, Mayor Hank Kuspa hoped aldermen would grant the variance.
“Oak Forest should be a city with a heart,” Kuspa said.