One Fresno business says two out of three historic cranes sculpted by a known Fresno artist were vandalized.
What was once displayed outside the business is now destroyed and mostly gone.
“These are one-of-a-kind. They can’t be duplicated, they can’t be replaced,” Director of Zinc Financial Debbie Deacon says, “They were created by a very well-known artist out in Fresno by the name of Clem Renzi back in 1971. Clem has since deceased.”
Deacon says looters came in and cut off the heads of two giant cranes, but left one completely untouched.
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A month later, she believes the same looters came back and took one of them.
© Provided by KMPH – Fresno-Visalia
A description of how tall the cranes are, they were taller than our FOX26 News Photojournalist, that’s over 5’6.
They spoke with one local artist that knew Clem and what it would take to rebuild the cranes.
© Provided by KMPH – Fresno-Visalia
He said it would be almost impossible to even fix them.
However, if they found a way to do it, it would cost between $65,000 – $100,000.
© Provided by KMPH – Fresno-Visalia
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If they do decide to spend that amount, Deacon says they’re afraid it would happen again.
“We really don’t have a great way to protect them, we’re heartbroken…these are iconic. They’re a part of the Fresno community. They’ve been around for a long time,” Deacon said.
The masterpiece that stood tall for over 51 years and destroyed just like that for some easy cash she says.
“There’s somebody out there that may have seen this happen and and there’s people out there that may have sculptures that they will want to think about protecting. These were metal and my assumption is that they were going to use this metal and recycle it somehow for profit,” she said.
A police report has been made.
If you saw what happened or know anything about the vandalism and theft, you can call Deacon’s office at 559-326-2509.
They’re offering a $20,000 reward for anyone who helps them locate the missing pieces.
You can remain anonymous too.