Dick Tracy was knocked off his pedestal Thursday morning.
More accurately, he was lifted off – and “he” was the larger-than-life bronze version of the fictional detective that has towered over Naperville’s piece of the West Branch of the DuPage River since 2010, being moved out of harm’s way. As work progressed on the Water Street commercial redevelopment project in recent weeks, the construction zone had come within inches of the figure’s clearing on the lower level of the Riverwalk’s south side.
Originally the plan was to relocate the sculpture temporarily to the lawn outside the Municipal Center, southwest of its perch just down the riverbank from the Naperville Township building. But after the 9-foot-tall sculpture was half submerged by a swollen West Branch in the wake of heavy rains earlier this year – an event that had happened more than once before – it was decided that it would be better off on higher ground. A spot was chosen just a few feet to the south, outside the township building, but it won’t be ready to receive the sculpture for another couple of months.
The temporary home for the piece, part of the Century Walk’s collection of public art, is now the township’s highway department workshop in far northwest Naperville.
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Sculptor Don Reed took the evolution of the game plan in stride. Reed, who collaborated with longtime Naperville resident and former Dick Tracy comic-strip artist Dick Locher on creating the sculpture, said it was designed to be accessible to the public. The artists wanted visitors to be able to touch the piece and pose for pictures alongside it, he said – and that has happened many times. According to Century Walk founder and board chairman W. Brand Bobosky, Dick Tracy is the most frequently visited piece among the nonprofit’s nearly four dozen pieces of art.
“Good art like that will last for 100 years,” Reed said. “It just won’t withstand the river.”
Examining the sculpture after the move, he said he found some water on the inside.
“As high as the river got, all the things that were happening at that level and below tell us a different story from the areas that never were reached by the water,” he said.
Overall, however, there didn’t appear to be much harm from vandalism or accidental fractures, or much serious damage from the forces of nature.
“We didn’t see any faults immediately that would have been caused by freezing and cracking,” he said.
The process of preparing the sculpture to be moved once more, including application of a fresh finish, will take about two weeks, Reed estimated.
“We should be able to return it as good as new,” he said.
Bobosky, who said he was told the popular attraction will remain off-site for a month or two, wasn’t too irritated by the switch to a plan B, either.
“We would have liked the instant turnaround, but four to six weeks is better than a year and a half,” said Bobosky, who doesn’t want the private eye to remain out of the public eye any longer than he has to be. “We want to work with people, and Naperville Township – it’s their property – they worked it out.”
Deb Newman, spokeswoman for the Water Street project, said developer Marquette Companies and project management contractor Lend Lease Corp. are striving to accomplish the moves as efficiently and safely as possible.
“I think the goal is to have him back up for the holidays,” Newman said.
Watching the process from one end of the nearby pedestrian bridge, Locher said he’s pleased by the enduring appeal of the character he began drawing in 1983. He took over after the unexpected death of Rick Fletcher, who had succeeded strip creator Chester Gould, and was its artist until he retired in March 2011.
Noting that the comic strip remains “viable,” Locher said new fan clubs continue to form around the venerable character. He said he has heard of clubs establishing in Paris, Moscow, Outer Mongolia and, most recently, Rio de Janeiro.
“It’s kind of fun,” said Locher, 86. “They dress up in costume and send us photos.”
He continues to be one of the super sleuth’s most ardent admirers, wherever he comes to rest.
“I’m sticking with him,” Locher said. “Come hell or high water.”
Twitter @scarlman