The golden eagle statue and clock tower cupola above Derryberry Hall will be taken down this semester and a new tower and statue will be taking its place. The change is scheduled to happen over fall break.
In the early 1960s, three students stole the original statue from the Monteagle Hotel. The hotel reported the eagle stolen. The University paid the hotel for the eagle, but also took notice that the golden figure had been loved dearly on Tech’s campus. A replica was made so that the hotel and the university could share the love of the ornament. Later, the eagle statue proudly claimed the role as the new University’s mascot in 1962, and has kept the role since.
The cupola was originally scheduled to be removed on Saturday, September 4th , but was postponed to a later date in September. The cupola and golden eagle have undergone repairs through its years of service, but its current state has been determined to be unrepairable.
The replacement that will take place atop Derryberry will be made from an aluminum material that will better withstand outdoor elements and hopefully won’t warrant as many repainting and repairs.
As this new eagle takes its perch on Derryberry, whereabouts for the current eagle are unknown until a further decision is made. The new eagle will be placed upon the removal of its predecessor later this month.
This is not the first major project involving the cupola. The clock tower, home to both the eagle and the carillon system, originally were located at Jere Whitson before being relocated to Derryberry in the 1960s.