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A familiar landmark was carefully transported from the North Side to its new home at a South Side hospital under construction.
The 14,000-pound Flor de Esperanza sculpture was transported Saturday morning from a storage site near Blossom Athletic Center to the future site of University Health’s Palo Alto Hospital.
The 23-foot-tall steel sculpture, designed by artist Sebastián and painted bright yellow, was previously displayed at University Hospital in the South Texas Medical Center. Sebastián also created the iconic red Torch of Friendship downtown, which was presented to San Antonio in 2002.
Allison Hays Lane is the executive curator of University Health’s SaludArte program and oversaw the move.
“It was an adventure, for sure,” she told TPR.
The sculpture was lifted by crane onto an open step-deck trailer operated by Scobey Moving and Storage Service.
Lane followed behind with her hazard lights on as the caravan moved slowly down U.S. 281.
“It is a little bit nerve-wracking. The blankets under it started flapping around, but of course it’s strapped down tight. It’s not going anywhere, but you do have that moment of, ‘Oh my God, what would this look like if it came off this truck?’ And, yeah, you do have that moment of panic,” she said.
The sculpture was removed from University Hospital and placed in storage in 2019 to make way for construction of University Health’s Women’s & Children’s Hospital. Flor de Esperanza was later restored by Wanderlust Iron Works.
Lane said the sculpture is now in place at its new home.
“The sculpture will sit just at the main entrance, basically looking out, facing Zarzamora and Jaguar Parkway.”
A second, smaller Sebastián sculpture, Espacio Tiempo, will be installed in a garden at Palo Alto Hospital.
Palo Alto Hospital is set to open in April 2027.
