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Steve Aveson shows the Olympic cauldron as it travels from Minnesota and begins assembly in Atlanta. (2.3mb AVI) -- (3.1mb QuickTime) |
Located adjacent to the new Olympic Stadium in South Atlanta, the Cauldron is comprised of a tower-which supports the actual cauldron-and a bridge, which connects the tower to the Stadium.
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30 May 1996, Day 7:The Centennial Olympic Games Cauldron sits in place, along with an American flag and a topping out tradition Christmas tree. |
Rising dramatically over the Olympic Stadium, the 111-foot-high Cauldron tower is constructed of densely interwoven steel painted warm gray, and its shape forms the letter "A" for Atlanta. At the top of the tower resides the cauldron, 21 feet high and fabricated of painted stainless steel with a terra-cotta rim made from Georgia red clay.
A 190-foot-long bridge connects the tower to the top level of the Olympic Stadium, spanning four lanes of traffic across Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard. The decking of the bridge is made of pressure-treated green lumber and inscribed with the names of Olympic host cities starting with Athens in 1896 and continuing up through Atlanta in 1996.
Midway up the tower, at the point where the bridge adjoins it, is a green wooden house with windows made of hand-cast colored glass. The floor at the entrance of the house is inscribed with the words "Atlanta 1996" - the final city at the end of the bridge's span of Olympic host cities. Designed as a place for contemplation, the house, according too the artist, symbolizes the warmth and hospitality of the people of Atlanta, and is inspired by Thomas Jefferson's suggestion that "to have a house is to be free."
Other features of the Olympic Cauldron include a gazebo at the tower's base that includes seating and will provide a place for public gathering after the Games.
The first sculptor ever commissioned to design an Olympic Cauldron, Siah Armajani (pronounced SEE-ah Ar-ma-ZHAN-nee) was selected by ACOG and a panel of local and national visual art experts and community leaders. Armajani has designed and constructed numerous award-winning works of public art throughout the U.S. and Europe. Most recently, he has designed a lighthouse and bridge in Staten Island, NY, which are currently under construction.
| Closing Ceremony of the 1996 Games involved a crew of 2,100 who worked with more than 3,500 performers as well as thousands of athletes who celebrated on the field of Olympic Stadium. |