The Willoughby Tech Welding Class is leading the creation of a full-scale replica of Garrett Morgan’s traffic signal to be displayed in downtown Willoughby’s DiVine District.
The idea for the creation of the historic sculpture came to Rebecca MacMillan and Jackie Bertolette, the owners of My Song Boutique, about two months ago as the duo was brainstorming concepts for new sculptures to display along Vine Street.
“We were looking for sculptures with historical significance,” said MacMillan. “I was looking at The DiVine District website one day, saw the Divine District street sign, and it came to me.”
General Electric purchased the rights to Morgan’s stoplight for $40,000 just after the invention received its patent on November 20, 1923. Adjusted for inflation, that number today equals about $500,000.
Once General Electric received the rights, the company decided to test the traffic signal in Willoughby in April 1924 before full-scale production and installation around Cleveland was implemented.
The Willoughby-Eastlake Tech Center welding class was the perfect group to approach about building the replica, MacMillan said.
“They were busting at the seams to begin this project,” she said. “The day after they were approached, they already had been researching and had several prototypes in the works.”
A student works on the traffic light replica.
The class focuses on community projects, as well as participating in competitions demonstrating their skills sets through the SkillsUSA program for vocational enrichment. The students, who call themselves The Gang For Good, recently completed another project, Phillip The Fire Truck, a large scale renovation to assist in teaching fire safety to children.
“We were excited to have the opportunity to make this replica,“ said Ryan Eubank, class instructor. “The students are learning about history and community involvement, as well as fabrication.”
Any past vandalism issues won’t be a problem this time around. Bertolette and MacMillan are working with the city to permanently bolt this full-scale replica to the ground.
“This is more important to the city than any sculpture that might be put up,” Bertolette said. “We have something here that says we’re part of history.”
Once completed, the sculpture will be installed at the location where the original traffic signal stood, at the intersection of Vine Street and Erie Street. However, there are conflicting opinions about where the first signal was placed.
Some opponents place the stoplight at the intersection of Glenn Avenue and Erie Street. According to the Willoughby Historical Society, an April 1924 article in The News-Herald places the traffic light at Erie and Vine.
“We just want to make sure it’s displayed, and that the location is accurate,” Bertolette said. “We don’t want the kids to complete this project only to have the sculpture placed in storage.”
The traffic signal sculpture will first be on display during ArtStock in The DiVine District on May 15, which will occur from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. A ceremony to honor the students will be held at 1:30 p.m. For more information about ArtStock, visit www.thedivinedistrict.com or call 440.918.1480.
To see pictures of the work in progress, click here: http://www.thedivinedistrict.com/trafficlight.html
More information on the Tech Welding class initiatives can be found at www.thegangforgood.webs.com.
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Thank you so much!!! It is important that Willoughby residents and especially Willoughby school students know of the contributions of this man. His contributions extend far beyond the traffic light. What a great idea for the Tech students and the community.