GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A well-known art installation in Grand Rapids will soon be on the move.
John Ball Zoo announced Friday the statue of John Ball will find a new home outside the zoo's entrance. The move will make way for a new animal exhibit and allow for better access to the likeness of one of Grand Rapids' founding fathers.
The exact spot the statue will rest at was not announced. The Zoo says prep work began on Monday, February 26.
The 99-year-old statue debuted in 1925 at a spot that is now a parking lot. It moved to its current location in 1951. This announced move will be the statue's third.
It depicts John Ball holding two children in his lap. The statue has become a popular spot for people to take a picture on John Ball's lap.
“Millions of people have photographs of their families with the John Ball statue year after year,” said Allmon Forrester, director of facilities, planning and sustainability at John Ball Zoo. “Moving it outside the Zoo’s entrance will make it more accessible to our community.”
Ball donated part of the land that the zoo now resides on when he died in 1884.
The zoo did not say when the statue will make its move.
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