Burbank City Council announces the completion of historic sculptures at Lincoln Park

Sculptors Michael Davis and Eugene Daub have fabricated three hat sculptures with each one signifying something important to Burbank or the San Fernando Valley.

The first sculpture, which will be placed at the alcove closest to Buena Vista, will be of Abraham Lincoln's stovepipe hat, which is in honor of the park's name and to the former Lincoln Elementary School that once stood there. Dietrich explained the hat will be made out of perforated metal alloy, will be 7 feet in diameter and 6-foot-4-inches tall — the same height as the 16th president of the United States. The brim of the hat will have sections of the Gettysburg Address written in cut-out letters.

The next sculpture, which will be adjacent to Lincoln's hat, will be a broad-brimmed straw worker's hat made out of ceramic tiles. The art piece is in honor of citizens and immigrants who cultivated and harvested the fruits and vegetables in the San Fernando Valley and the state.

The final piece, which will be located at the alcove closest to Brighton Street, will represent Amelia Earhart's helmet and goggles. The sculptors will be paying homage to the famous pilot who once lived in Toluca Lake and flew out of Burbank, by fabricating the sculpture of her headgear using the same style, design and construction methods that were used by aircraft manufacturers during World War II, Dietrich said. She added that near the top of the helmet will be a cutout of Earhart's Lockheed Electra plane, which is meant to create a viewing area into the sky.

Davis and Daub recently worked on a piece at the University of Southern California, which was of George Tirebiter, the university's first mascot. Davis, who lives in San Pedro, specializes in interactive art pieces, which includes a power-generating windmill for the Dallas Area Rapid Transit in Texas and a weather vane wind sculpture at the Arcadia Metro station. Daub, who is also based in San Pedro, has his work more rooted in historical icons. Some of his pieces include a sculpture of Lewis and Clark located in Kansas City, Kan., an art piece honoring the USS San Diego located at the Port of San Diego and a sculpture of civil rights figure Rosa Parks, which was dedicated by former President Barack Obama in the rotunda of the National Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C.