Two small models by Savannah sculptor John Walz are now at Savannah Technical College, where students in its Historic Preservation Program are expected to repair them before a planned public display.
The Savannah-Chatham County Public School System said the sculptures were found in the attic of its Central Office Building at 208 Bull St. The district said they had been kept there since 1901.
Walz made the maquettes as models for the larger figures that remain on the building’s portico overlooking Oglethorpe Street. The school system said the building’s major restoration prompted the sculptures’ removal.
Specialty Moving Co. helped transfer the works to the college. School officials described the student repairs as hands-on training with century-old local artifacts. When the restoration is complete, officials plan to put the sculptures on public display in Massie’s Historic Preservation Gallery. They have not provided a completion or display date.
The sculptures portray Demeter and Athena. According to school officials, Demeter holds a cornucopia of fruit, while Athena is shown with a pen as she studies a tablet.
Yolonda Harris
News Now Georgia
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