Healdsburg 'Hammer Snatcher' Returns Huge Public Art Piece

HEALDSBURG, CA — A 6-foot-tall, 200-pound metal hammer head that was part of a larger hammer sculpture stolen last fall from its prominent place of display in front of the Healdsburg Community Center has been returned to the city, officials said Friday.

"We believe the hammer snatcher had an attack of guilty conscience and decided to do their best to make amends," said Judy Voigt, co-founder of the Voigt Family Sculpture Foundation, which has a fabrication facility in Geyserville where Artist Doug Unkrey created the large art installation that included a 21-foot-long redwood handle.

The Healdsburg Police Department received a call Thursday from Santa Rosa Attorney Izaak Schwaiger, who said the hammer head was found on the Sonoma County property of a client and that he wanted to "mediate the artwork's return on his client’s behalf," city officials said in a news release.

The attorney did not provide his client's name, city officials said, and it was not clear whether there were plans to bring any criminal charges against anyone in the art theft.

The hammer head and the artist who crafted it were reunited Friday. Unkrey plans to fully rehabilitate the artwork but has his work cut out for him because the hammer's 600-pound handle carved out of redwood was not returned and remains missing.

After evaluating and repairing any damage to the metal head, Unkrey will need to find a suitable redwood tree trunk from which to carve a new handle.

Once it is ready, "The Hammer" will be returned to the front lawn of the Healdsburg Community Center, city officials said.

The hammer sculpture went on display in front of the community center in May 2018 as part of the city's temporary-art installation program that includes more than a dozen pieces of public art that dot the Healdsburg landscape, such as along the Foss Creek trail and in the downtown area.

When the hammer disappeared Oct. 6 or 7, it ignited a news frenzy.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

• 1,000-Pound Metal Hammer Stolen From Healdsburg Community Center
• Big Nail Found At Scene Of Missing Hammer Sculpture In Healdsburg

"I’m happy to welcome 'The Hammer' back home," said Healdsburg Mayor David Hagele. "Its presence and jarring absence highlights the impact public art has on our community by drawing neighbors together in conversation."

Valued at about $15,000, the humongous hammer sculpture was on loan from the Voigt Family Sculpture Foundation. Dozens of sculptures have been installed throughout Sonoma County thanks to the organization founded in 2005 by Al and Judy Voigt.

"This is a celebration of art and honesty," Judy Voigt said Friday of the hammer's return. "We don’t know why it was taken, but we're glad to have it back."