Iconic owl at Mayo Clinic School of Medicine now has a twin in Arizona
The iconic owl sitting atop the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine Mitchell Student Center in Rochester, Minnesota – has been replicated exactly for the new Mayo Clinic School of Medicine – Arizona Campus.
The owl atop the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine Mitchell Student Center in Rochester, Minnesota
The original owl was duplicated in intricate detail, from beak to talon, and involved substantial teamwork and collaboration.
In July 2016 a boom hoisted workers in Rochester so they could wrap the owl in material to create a cast. The cast was taken down from the rooftop and brought to the Mayo Clinic Cabinet Shop, where it was prepared for final casting. A load of 800 pounds of concrete was poured into the cast along with a special pigment to match the Kasota limestone from which the original owl was carved.
A worker creates a cast of the owl atop the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine Mitchell Student Center.
The new owl was prepared for the 1,600-mile trip to Mayo Clinic’s campus in Scottsdale, Arizona. A special crate was built to deliver the owl to its new home intact. Once uncrated, the owl was set in place near the entrance to the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine in Arizona (formerly the Administrative Support Building).
The owl destined for Arizona in the Mayo Clinic Cabinet Shop.
When the medical school was dedicated on Nov. 2, 2016, the owl stood watch. The owl also will welcome the school’s first students in June.
Owl at Mayo Clinic Medical School – Arizona campus
The owl, a symbol of wisdom, will promote integration and a shared sense of mission and identity between the two medical school campuses.