Automotive heritage statue to be unveiled - WNEM TV 5

Automotive heritage statue to be unveiled

On a windy April morning, the Back to the Bricks Committee announced their plans to honor the founders of the automotive industry here in Flint with life-size bronze statues.

"This was not a pipe dream," said Al Hatch, Back to the Bricks chairman, "When the Back to the Bricks Committee conceived this idea that we wanted to honor our automotive heritage, we went to work putting a plan together."

The first two statues will be standing in the flat lot downtown, so when asking to acquire parking spaces from the Downtown Development Authority for the project the committee asked for six spots, hoping for three.

They wound up getting nine prime parking spots right along Saginaw Street and with each statue costing around $45,000 a piece, money became a real factor.

"One of the most important things is all the labor for the mini-park has been donated by the local construction companies, " said Hatch, "That really helped keep the cost under control."

The bricks surrounding the statues are being sold as a fundraiser to help pay for the Louis Chevrolet statue and the others that are planned around the city and if all goes according to plan, Mr. Chevrolet will soon be looking back out over Saginaw Street very soon.

"The 18th which is a Saturday, the day we culminate with a big car show in downtown, we're going to unveil the Louis Chevrolet statue. "

With attendance at last year's Back to the Bricks Festival topping 400,000 people and estimates of around 500,000 visitors this year, the festival organizers keep moving forward with one thing in mind.

"Quality, quality, quality," said Hatch. "Lets do it right. If we can't do it right, we're not going to do it. "

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