TOLEDO, Ohio — The Arts Commission is coordinating the removal and repair of a north Toledo sculpture that sustained damage in a 2023 crash that followed a police chase.
According to the Arts Commission, "Vessel" will be removed from its location on a Cherry Street and Manhattan Boulevard roundabout beginning April 1 in order to repair damage the sculpture sustained in the crash. The commission's Art in Public Places program will coordinate the removal.
After removal, the commission said conservation efforts will begin to repair and refabricate the damaged portions of the sculpture. The commission said the goal is to reinstall the fully restored sculpture in the near future, though an estimated date was not provided.
When it was installed in 2021, Vessel was intended to act as a vibrant beacon and landmark as travelers navigate the corridor and was selected from over 60 submissions by a committee of local stakeholders. It was developed and designed by RDG Dalquist: Art Studio Artist team David Dahlquist and Matt Niebuhr, who are based in Des Moines, Iowa.
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The project had a budget of $200,000 and was funded by Mercy Health and managed by The Arts Commission on behalf of the City of Toledo’s One Percent for Art Program.
An photo of Vessel undamaged is included below.
The installation was damaged in May 2023 when, according to a Toledo police report, police were pursuing a suspect driving a stolen black GMC Sierra pickup truck on northbound on Cherry Street. Police claimed they attempted to pull over the suspect, but he refused and led police on a short chase down Cherry Street.
The suspect, 40-year-old Samuel Roeber of Findlay, then lost control of the vehicle while trying to negotiate a curve near the roundabouts on Cherry Street and Manhattan Boulevard in north Toledo.
Police claim Roeber drove into the roundabout, traveled over a median island and struck a yield road sign. Roeber then continued to drive northbound into another roundabout, where he struck Vessel, which sustained heavy damage in the incident.
Roeber was taken to the hospital with life threatening injuries, police said. According to court documents, Roeber died in July.
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