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Cupertino's icon, the morion sculpture, has not been seen since the city removed it last winter from it's 30-plus year spot in front of the old library. And, now that the new library is opened, some residents are wondering where the sculpture has gone.
Cupertino selected a morion—a conquistador's helmet—as its symbol when the city was founded in 1955. The helmet represents Captain Juan Bautista de Anza and his fellow explorers who were the first Europeans to travel in the area. In 1776 De Anza passed through what is now the Monta Vista High School campus, having significantly missed his original destination, Monterey. The Spanish explorers ultimately gave Cupertino its name by dubbing a local creek Cupertino in honor of St. Joseph of Cupertino.
De Anza and his men were also the first Europeans to discover San Francisco Bay.
In the 1970s, the city commissioned a sculpture of the morion and placed it in front of the library and later built a replica for Cupertino's sister city, Toyokawa, Japan.
"The morion is a perfect symbol for the city," said resident Ed Jajko, "since it was the common helmet of De Anza and the Spanish soldiers. It's a symbol of that history."
The public works department moved the morion from its place outside the old library last winter to make room for construction of the new library and civic center plaza, and the plan was to have the sculpture back in place when the new library opened in October.
But the city delayed the move to allow time for finishing up final construction details at the library and civic center site, said Kim Smith, a member of Cupertino's Fine Arts Commission. The morion itself has undergone repairs while in storage, and has even received a new base.
And in August the city council approved a new location for the morion—outside city hall at the corner of Rodrigues and Torre Avenue.
"It will be put back in early 2005," Smith said.
In the meantime, the sculpture will continue to reside at the city storage facility on Mary Avenue.
"All the action is in place [for a move]," said Rick Kitson, Cupertino's public information officer. "It's a question of public works finishing up the site preparation."
The sculpture does, however, have its detractors, with some in the community saying it resembles a metal snail— Kitson said it provides a well-recognized symbol for the city and will continue to do so in the future.
"It should be a part of the community for many years to come," said Kitson.
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