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Oak Forest, Illinois: King Tin Man

King Heating and Air Conditioning's scrap metal mascot wears a jaunty crown.

King Heating and Air Conditioning

Address:
4813 W. 159th St., Oak Forest, IL
Directions:
King Heating and Air Conditioning. I-57 exit 348, then drive west a little over a mile. On the left (south) side, on the southwest corner of US Hwy 6/W. 159th St. and Hwy 50/S. Cicero Ave., across from Arbor Park Middle School.
Phone:
708-301-3773
Admission:
Free.
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King Tin Man.

King Tin Man

This tin man king stands on the roof of King's Heating and Refrigeration. He proudly sports a crown on the top of his head.

[Vinny Gragg, 07/28/2012]

Hands on hips, Superman style, is statue shorthand for power. The cocked crown signifies confidence. The guy wires probably restrain the King from jumping down and taking over the town.

Tin Man, Rescued from Banishment

With a tilted crown on his bucket head, light bulb eyes, and a big K painted on his metal drum chest, a seven-foot-tall Tin Man stood on the roof of King Heating and Air Conditioning since 1972. But in 2006 the Tin Man was taken down for maintenance, and the town refused to allow him to go back up.

Owner Tim Willson put him back up anyway, but hefty fines forced him to remove the Tin Man a year later. The citizens of Oak Forest rallied behind Willson, and a new mayor was elected claiming that the previous administration "had no heart."

On May 7, 2011, on the fourth anniversary of the Tin Man's banishment, he was finally restored to his rooftop perch.

[RoadsideAmerica.com Team, 05/06/2011]

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