New Sculpture Stands Over North Fifth Street

Artist Andrew Andrasko didn't really get a chance to see the statue he made for the until it was installed June 12.  

The statue, called Blomstré, stands in the center of an overlook near the intersection of North Fifth Street and Little Hills Expressway. It's the centerpiece for the new trail extension that connects New Town to Frenchtown in St. Charles. 

Standing at 30 feet tall, the three flowers were too tall to stand up in his studio. "I didn't see it until the end," he said.  

Andrasko finished the piece in just about six weeks. He said he presented the team with four possible designs which met the criteria that it be kinetic and involve biking. 

Each flower is made of 20 wheels, and has two bike frames which made the petals. The "stems" of the flowers are made of 3 and one-half inch pipe. The center of the flower is a stainless steel mixing bowl that was painted black. 

Andrasko got bike parts—wheels and frames—from St. Louis Bicycle Works, an organization that takes old bikes and fixes them up for kids in need.

During the ribbon cutting on Friday, the sculpture was the center of attention. Andrasko stood to the side and talked about his plans to add a bench made of sprockets. 

The original plan was to have the bench encircle the statue, but that may change. 

In the few days between the installation and ribbon cutting the someone managed to vandalize one of the leaves. Andrasko said he planned to reattach it. 

The bench will likely be installed farther away from the sculpture, so as not to give people a leg up. 

See more photos of the trail ribbon cutting event on our Facebook page.