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Public artworks in storage

Since 2021 two prominent City of Perth public artworks have been removed from their original display locations for public safety reasons. Both have been rehoused in secure storage locations.

The Ore Obelisk was removed from Stirling Gardens in 2021 and The Arch, which was located at the intersection of Lake Street and James Street, Northbridge, was removed in 2023.


Ore Obelisk

The Ore Obelisk was installed in Stirling Gardens in 1971 as a monument to Western Australia’s rich mining heritage.

In 2016, a piece of stone fell from the structure which initiated the start of a regular monitoring process of the piece. 

In January 2020, an 80kg piece of stone fell from a height of 4m from the sculpture.

Following that incident, a structural engineer’s investigation noted the degrading condition of the Ore Obelisk and it was raised with the Cultural Advisory Committee’s Public Art Subcommittee in September 2020.

The family of the artist – Paul Ritter – was also advised in October 2020.

As part of the regular monitoring process, the City’s Public Art maintenance contractor along with a structural engineer in March 2021 found that the artwork had degraded even further.

The structural engineer report indicated:

“There is currently an unacceptable risk due to rockfall”

“In summary, the piece is at the end of its serviceable life and requires full replacement or major refurbishment works.”

Noting that several of the levels were at immediate risk of further rock falls, it was recommended the Ore Obelisk be removed for safety reasons while future options were investigated.

In April 2021 the Ore Obelisk was removed and relocated.

Options for its future are being investigated and will be informed by a report, currently under way, into the condition of the piece. It will also give the City a realistic cost estimate of future work.

The Arch

The Arch was installed between 2009 and 2010 at the intersection of James and Lake streets, Northbridge.

In 2019, a truck hit the artwork and caused minor damage.

Via routine inspection it was noted that the quality of the external panels was deteriorating.

In June 2023, a piece of cladding fell off the structure into traffic leaving the base of the artwork exposed.

An initial quote was provided by the artist for remedial work only to replace some of the panels.

Subsequent engineering investigations identified more significant issues relating to the artwork’s condition and a subsequent cost estimate of $193,000 was provided by the artist to the City.

The City’s Public Art maintenance contractors and an engineer’s report provided in August 2023 contained the following statements:

“Primary Structural framing….is severely corroded, requiring substantive remediation.’”

“...baseplate is exhibiting advanced corrosion and sectional losses.”

“We consider in situ repair of the primary steelwork and subframing to be impractical because the roundabout would need to be closed for a prolonged duration”.

Consultation with the artist was undertaken in relation to the artwork’s future. In addition, the City engaged with neighbouring businesses and there were no objections to removing The Arch.

In September 2023, The Arch was removed and placed in storage the following month.

The quote for full refurbishment provided by the artist does not include itemised costs for installation, transport and traffic, noise and pedestrian management, or project contingencies.

Allowing for these costs the City’s estimate for total re-installation would be closer to $250,000.

The Arch has not been deaccessioned and is still part of the City of Perth Cultural Collections. It is currently in secure storage and was last inspected in March 2025.

Any plans for refurbishment and re-installation would have to occur with consideration of the James Street revitalisation project, which is at concept design stage. It wouldn’t be practical to consider returning the artwork to its prior location until that design work has been completed.


Conclusion

Both the Ore Obelisk and The Arch are important pieces of the City’s rich and vast public art collection, which is worth around $19 million and contains 97 three dimensional artworks.

Our art and cultural collections give us, the people of Perth and Western Australia, the opportunity to celebrate who we are and where we have come from.

We are lucky to be the custodians of our incredible cultural collections and we take our obligations seriously.


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