The Marlins will remove the seven-story "Homer" sculpture from Marlins Park. The Art in Public Places board of Miami-Dade County unanimously voted Tuesday in favor of the Marlins' plan to relocate the colorful, mechanical artwork to a location outside the ballpark, a source told MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. The Miami Herald was the first to report the news.
The sculpture, which operates after each Marlins home run, will now anchor a new art walk outside the stadium, and the Marlins will replace it with a new standing-room area beyond the outfield wall near center field. Tickets for the area would be aimed at younger fans with tickets priced less than $12.
Public art is protected in the county, and the Marlins argued that the sculpture can be enjoyed more in a public place, rather than only by ticket-buying fans. The plan received opposition from Red Grooms, the New York-based artist who designed the sculpture, which complicated matters because it risked devaluing the piece if Grooms disavowed it. The Marlins agreed to pay the county up to $2.5 million if Grooms opts to remove his name from the work, per the Herald.
Marlins chief executive officer Derek Jeter reportedly met with Grooms last month when the club was in New York to play the Mets.