(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The famous Route 66 statue known as the “Gemini Giant,” which has stood outside a restaurant in Wilmington since the 1960s, was sold at auction on Wednesday.
Residents who were worried that the statue would be taken out of Wilmington managed to raise nearly $40,000 through a GoFundMe. The winning bid, though, was $275,000 for the 28-foot statue.
Fortunately for the community, that winning bid was placed by the Joliet Area Historical Museum — which immediately donated the Gemini Giant to the City of Wilmington.
In a statement, the City of Wilmington said it has been working with the Joliet Area Historical Museum for over a year with the goal of keeping the Gemini Giant, which was named after the Gemini space program, in its historic place along Route 66.
“Wilmington has a very tight-knit community, and we go to great lengths to protect it,” read the statement from Wilmington Mayor Ben Dietz. “Since the announcement of the auction, a local GoFundMe was created, as well as a massive fundraising effort by our local VFW Post.”
Officials said a grant from the state of Illinois made the purchase possible.
Although the statue will stay in Wilmington, Dietz said the immediate plan was to carefully take down the Gemini Giant and transport it to the American Giants Museum in Atlanta, Ill., for temporary storage.
Later this spring, the city plans to place the statue near the entrance to Wilmington’s South Island Park, which will soon be home to a Route 66 monument and walking trail.
In the statement, Dietz said having the Gemini Giant stand right alongside the Route 66 monument will make for a “must-have photo op.”
The city of Wilmington, along with the VFW and the GoFundme teams, will be hosting a meeting to outline other goals and ideas for the Route 66 park. Dietz said the city will also work toward designating the statue as historical.
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