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The 66-foot replica of the Eiffel Tower that served as the centerpiece of Indianapolis’ Georgia Street during the 2024 U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials has been given a permanent home.
The Indiana Sports Corp. on Monday announced the tower will soon be permanently displayed at the International School of Indiana, 4330 N. Michigan Road.
The trials, which took place at Lucas Oil Stadium from June 15-23, determined the 52 athletes who represented the United States at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
The tower, a project of the Indiana Sports Corp., F.A. Wilhelm Construction and the Latinas Welding Guild, sat at the intersection of Georgia Street and Capitol Avenue, just outside the Indiana Convention Center. It was meant to celebrate the Circle City’s connection to the iconic host city.
Founded in 1994 by local leaders across the civic, governmental and business sectors, the International School of Indiana serves about 500 students annually. The school offers International Baccalaureate curriculum as well as immersion and dual-language education.
“The Olympic Movement and the mission of ISI align in a shared commitment to fostering global citizenship and leadership through education,” Head of School Elizabeth Head said in a written statement. “As the only school in the Midwest with our unique mission and that provides language immersion in French, Spanish, and Mandarin, ISI believes there is no better permanent home for this beautiful work of art than our campus.”
The 14,000-pound structure was the largest project undertaken by the Latinas Welding Guild, which designed and built the tower. The guild was founded in 2017 by Consuelo Lockhart to offer affordable or free education to unemployed and underemployed community members.
According to the Indiana Sports Corp., the swim trials drew more than 285,000 fans to Indianapolis.
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I’m glad the replica will live on, but think having it reside in the White River State Park or at the Children’s Museum would have been a better choice than a private school off the beaten path.
White River State Park would have been a great location!