Vulcan challenge: With elevator out, stairs are only way up

1 day ago 1

If you want to look out over Birmingham from its most famous overlook, the Vulcan statue at Vulcan Park, be ready to climb the stairs.

Visitors had been prohibited from going up the elevator or climbing the stairs of the tower to the observation deck from June 5, 2023, through March 15, 2024, while the tower was closed for nine months for weatherizing and repairs.

Now, the elevator up the observation tower has stopped working, has been down several weeks and is awaiting repairs.

The only way up is to climb the staircase inside the tower, with 159 stairs. Surprisingly, a steady stream of visitors still goes up Vulcan every day to enjoy the view, gladly hiking up stairs.

“Believe it or not, we have guests who come just for the stairs,” said Samil Baker, director of marketing and public relations for Vulcan Park.

Hopefully, elevator service will be restored soon, she said.

“Temperature and weather conditions can impact the elevator’s operation, and our operations team assesses this on a daily or occasional basis,” Baker said. “We also perform routine maintenance on the elevator to address any potential concerns related to temperature changes. Shutdowns occurring with the elevator are temporary.”

Tickets are sold at the park: $6 for age 13 and up, $4 for ages 5 to 12. There’s no discount for walking the stairs when the elevator isn’t working.

Maintenance on the 120-year-old iron man statue must be done periodically because of its constant exposure to weather conditions.

The Vulcan statue, a tribute to Birmingham’s booming iron and steel industry with a depiction of the Roman god of fire and forge, was created for the city’s exhibition at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis.

It has undergone a number of renovations and restoration efforts since returning to Birmingham and going on public display.

Vulcan stood at the Alabama Fairgrounds from 1906 to 1936, before being moved atop Red Mountain. Vulcan’s sandstone pedestal was built in 1938 and Vulcan Park opened in 1939.

In 1946, a neon torch was put in his right hand. The torch normally glowed green, but turned red for 24 hours after each traffic fatality to highlight road safety.

From 1968 to 1972, another major renovation took place. A new marble cladding was added surrounding the sandstone pedestal to protect it from the elements. An elevator was added along with an enclosed observation deck at the top of the tower.

Vulcan was taken down in 1999 as part of another restoration project. The statue was repaired and painted, marble cladding was removed from the pedestal, the enclosed observation deck was removed and replaced with an open-air deck.

The statue re-opened to the public in 2003. When it’s open for a full year, Vulcan typically draws more than 160,000 visitors, with residents using it as the go-to place to give visitors the best view of the city and its history. It usually ranks behind only the Birmingham Zoo and the McWane Center as a paid tourist draw for the city, and has ranked as one of the top-ten paid tourist attractions in the state.

In recent years, in place of the neon torch, Vulcan was re-fitted with a spear like the one he held at the World’s Fair.

During the most recent restoration in 2023-2024, the sandstone pedestal was cleaned and a waterproofing sealant added to reduce water infiltration into the inner staircase and preserved marble landing.

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