Echo stands as a reverberating reminder of The Edison Steam Plant's early role in energy production for Toledo.
Once a towering piece of metal sitting atop the steam plant, Echo’s eleven rings now integrate into the landscape creating a pathway that serves as a metaphor for Toledo's transition from past to present to future. As the colors shift from black through blue to white, the sculpture reminds us of The Steam Plant’s previous life, when it transformed coal to steam and energized a city.
The repeated circles are symbolic of cycles of time, perpetual motion, and the offering that public space is democratic space.
Created by Kristine Rumman and Dane Turpening
When the steam plant was restored, its original stacks were found to be structurally unsafe. Artists Kristine Rumman and Dane Turpening, both Toledo natives, created Echo, a 22-ton sculpture crafted from 11 steel rings reclaimed from the former steam plant’s smokestacks. The large, swirling sculpture took its place on Promenade Park’s upper level.
