Public Square sculpture will soon be trucked from California

Jun. 13—WATERTOWN — The sculpture that will soon be part of Public Square's Peanut Park is getting packed up in the next day or two and then trucked from a California arts studio.

Protected in an art crate, it will arrive in Watertown in about a week.

Another part of the sculpture is being stored in a Factory Street carpet and flooring shop until the artist gets here in July to assemble it all.

The sculpture — which tells the story of Watertown and its journey that started in the early 1800s — will be unveiled on July 23.

"I want to tell about our history and the history how we got here," sculptor David O. Grieco said Thursday morning from his Los Angeles home.

An accomplished artist for more than 20 years, Grieco has been working on the project from an arts studio in Los Angeles for more than two years.

The main component of the piece is stainless steel in the shape of an open book that sits atop a limestone base.

The book's pages represent the city's history and founders, nature, snow, the Black River, fish and Watertown's city limits. At the bottom of the base, concrete forms the shape of Watertown's footprint.

He wants the sculpture to represent "all of the technology and industry" that helped the city grow over time.

While living in L.A. for years, he still has ties to the north country and a love for where he grew up.

Two weeks ago, Grieco was back in Watertown to install limestone around the base of what's the main part of the piece.

A small group of friends that included brothers Justin and Jason Hall and Adam Brown, a landscaper who owns Yard by Yard in Chaumont, joined him in the efforts.

"We laughed and laughed, but it was hard work," Grieco said.

They also completed a cobblestone pathway that leads to the sculpture's base.

It turned out to be a journey just to find a specific type of cobblestone that was used when Watertown was settled in the early 1800s.

For months, the artist searched for that authentic cobblestone. He felt it was important — the walkway symbolizes the city's path from its earliest days.

He also made an effort to create a pathway that's the exact width of the railroad lines that led into the city back then.

His quest began with cities in upstate New York, first Oswego, Binghamton and Buffalo and expanded it as far away as Europe and India.

"I search and searched and searched," Grieco said.

Finally, with time running out and just three months before the piece's unveiling this summer, he tracked down the cobblestone through a woman in the Bronx. He had 9,000 pounds of the historic cobblestone trucked up to Watertown.

Senior City Planner Jenn Voss has been involved in the art project since City Council selected Grieco to complete the sculpture as part of a nationwide search.

She gave an update about the sculpture during a Thursday morning meeting of Advantage Watertown, a group of community and business leaders who meet to talk about city issues.

"I'm looking forward to finally be in a place that the public will enjoy all of his years of hard work," she said.

Grieco's sculpture design was chosen for a public art project funded by the city's Downtown Revitalization Initiative program. Fifteen artists from across the country submitted their ideas for the project. Grieco's piece was selected from a group of five finalists. The state appropriated $155,000 for the project but Grieco has spent his own money to make sure the finished project ends up exactly how he envisioned it.

He's inspired by his time growing up in Watertown, the city's history and his family's connection to its past.

A star running back at General Brown, he was a member of the team that went to the state championship in 1998. He scored a 31-yard touchdown in the 20-14 loss.

The 52-year-old's love affair with sculpting began quite by chance when he was a walk-on for the University of Alabama's football team.

That's when he discovered an art class in his sophomore year at Alabama and he knew what he wanted to do with his life.

"It shows that a football player from General Brown can do what he loves," he said.

His brother, Richard J. Grieco Jr., starred in the Fox TV hit series "21 Jump Street" with Johnny Depp.

His grandfather, Louis G. Grieco Sr., was the longest-serving member of the Jefferson County Board of Supervisors, now reorganized as the Board of Legislators. His grandfather owned downtown's Lincoln Building, where he ran his realty company, and the nearby Buck Building. The family also ran Grieco's Brass Rail on Arsenal Street and Canale's Restaurant, now Pete's.