We're just a few short weeks away from completing and installing the Benoist Monument on the south side of the new St. Pete Pier!

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This project celebrates the plane flown by pilot Tony Jannus on Jan. 1, 1914 from St. Petersburg to Tampa, and St. Pete's Mayor, Abe Pheil, who was the first passenger in that historic flight. The monument tells the untold story of St. Pete as the birthplace of today’s commercial aviation industry.

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Bud Karins has taken the lead on bringing this ambitious project to life.

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“This project is just incredibly complicated. We’ve got an object, its original design was incredibly lightweight. It was not designed for the wind force that we have,” Mark Aeling [of MGA Sculpture Studio] said. “We want to stay true to the original aesthetic ... To do that and have it be structurally sound, is a huge engineering challenge.”

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Well done to everyone involved in building this unique monument.

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Read the full article on ST PETE CATALYST

https://stpetecatalyst.com/city-council-oks-final-design-for-benoist-monument/

Monument Created at MGA Sculpture Studio.

Structural Engineers: Karins Engineering

Construction: Hennessy Construction

Landscape Architecture: Phil Graham Landscape Architecture