Crane lifts golden charioteer from state Capitol for repair

Charioteer moved
The Quadriga statue on the Minnesota Capitol Building before the Charioteer is temporarily removed Tuesday morning.
Yi-Chin Lee / MPR News

The chariot driver from the Quadriga on the top of the Minnesota Capitol was lifted away from his four golden horses Tuesday morning for repairs.

Photojournalist Yi-Chin Lee got a close-up look at the removal as crane operators strapped it up and lifted it down to the ground. The surface where the charioteer stands is corroded, and will be fixed while the figure is being regilded and checked over. He is expected to be back in place in about three months.

The sculpture was created and placed on the state Capitol in 1906. The Quadriga is a gold-leafed copper and steel statuary group titled "Progress of the State."

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