Batcolumn

Batcolumn stands outside the Harold Washington Social Security Administration Building at 600 West Madison Street near downtown Chicago.

Oldenburg instead had Batcolumn painted gray, which he also hoped would make the sculpture easier to see against the sky.

[1] A plaque on the sculpture reads, "Oldenburg selected the baseball bat as an emblem of Chicago's ambition and vigor.

The sculpture's verticality echoes the city's dramatic skyline, while its form and scale cleverly allude to more traditional civic monuments, such as obelisks and memorial columns.

On the day of its dedication, a number of people came to protest, holding signs saying "Tear it down" and "Expensive joke".