Sports
Pujols Statue to be Unveiled in West County Nov. 2
The bigger-than-life bronze sculpture of El Hombre will go outside his restaurant, Maryland Heights-based Pujols 5. The Henry Weber artwork was paid for by an anonymous donor.
Albert Pujols will be staying in St. Louis—Maryland Heights, to be precise.
At least, a 10-feet-tall, 1,100-pound bronze sculpture of the Cardinals All-Star first baseman will stay here in St. Louis County, at Westport Plaza.
The massive statue will be unveiled at 11 a.m., Nov. 2 at Westport Plaza, the outside the Pujols 5 Sports Grill restaurant. Albert and Deirdre Pujols plan to attend the event, which is free and open to the public. However, they will not be available to answer questions. Pujols is a free agent at the end of the season.
The event will be between the north entrance of Pujols 5 Westport Grill and the Sheraton Westport Chalet Hotel.
However, the event could be rescheduled pending the World Series outcome and any appearance obligations Pujols may have after the World Championship Series.
A short dedication ceremony will take place prior to the statue unveiling. Lisa Bulczak, general manager of Westport Plaza, sculptor Harry Weber, and Jack Scharr, president and founder of Fine Art, Ltd. will speak during the ceremony. Todd Perry, executive director and CEO of the Pujols Family Foundation, will be in attendance. KTRS’ McGraw Milhaven will serve as emcee for the dedication ceremony.
Limited edition replicas of the statue will be sold to raise money for the Pujols Family Foundation.
Two sizes of bronze maquettes and copies of Weber’s original sketch of the sculpture will be available through Fine Art Ltd. They will be displayed during the ceremony. Limited quantities of the maquettes and sketches are available.
According to a news release, an anonymous donor wanted to recognize Pujols for his dedication to the St. Louis Cardinals, Major League Baseball and his philanthropy to the community. The donor contacted the Pujols Family Foundation about the sculpture two years ago. The charity then contacted Fine Art Ltd., a Chesterfield-based publisher of art that commemorates events.
Fine Art Ltd. commissioned Weber to do the sculpture. Weber is known for several of his sculptures in the Plaza of Champions outside Busch Stadium and of Lewis and Clark on the St. Louis Riverfront.
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