Robot.

Ten-Foot-Tall Robot

Springfield, Illinois

In 2010 Springfield handyman Travis Taylor built a sculpture of a robot, named it "Sybia," and stood it on his front lawn next to his driveway. Ten feet tall, the robot was assembled mostly from parts salvaged from an old motorcycle: the gas tank was the head, the exhaust pipes were a jet pack, the drive chain was an ammunition belt for an arm-mounted Gatling gun.

Springfield's authorities were not amused. They told Travis that the robot was a traffic hazard and violated zoning laws. They ordered him to either remove his robot or the town would do it for him -- probably with bad results for the robot.

The Springfield Art Association came to the rescue. It provided a safe haven for Sybia, which is now part of the Association's sculpture garden. The garden is on the front lawn of a local historic home and the robot is still visible from the street, but it's apparently no longer a traffic hazard.

Ten-Foot-Tall Robot

Address:: 700 N. 4th St., Springfield, IL
Directions:: North side of the city. On the northeast corner of N. Fourth and Union Sts, in the sculpture garden of the Springfield Art Association, which is on the lawn of the Edwards Place historic home. The robot -- named Sybia -- has a place of honor near "Bicentennial Bison."
Hours:: March 2013: reported being repaired. (Call to verify)
Phone:: 217-523-2631

Nearby Offbeat Places

Pearson Museum, Springfield, IL - < 1 mi.
Lincoln Funeral Train Monument, Springfield, IL - < 1 mi.
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum, Springfield, IL - < 1 mi.
Departure Point Of The Donner Party, Springfield, IL - < 1 mi.

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May 25, 2013