Make Room for Big Max: Steel Sculpture to Arrive in St. Petersburg Tuesday

ST. PETERSBURG – Big Max – the big, red steel public art scuplture planted in Tampa – is moving to South Straub Park on Tuesday.

Looking something like giant pick-up sticks, or red chopsticks, John Henry's steel sculpture has been in MacDill Park in Tampa for the past three years.

Now the steel structure will be re-assembled at , at the corner of Beach Drive and Second Avenue Southeast. The park is conveniently close to the , and Big Max will be highly visible to shoppers and visitors downtown.

It will take some effort to install the sculpture at its new location, with the five-hour job starting at 7 a.m. Tuesday.  John Henry will be on hand to oversee the installation. The steel monstrosity is 33 feet high by 65 feet long by 38 feet wide. It will be at the St. Petersburg park for the next 18 months.

City leaders are crediting Council Member Leslie Curran and Ken Rollins of Rollins Fine Art with being the forces behind the move of Henry's work to St. Petersburg.

Henry's sculptures are displayed in many public and private collections, including the University of Florida, the Miami Metro Rail System and Miami's Bicentennial Park.

The relocation is funded entirely by private donations, including grants from The Majeed Family, Mr. and Mrs. Craig Sher and Mirror Lake Lyceum.