Laredo taft the sculptors chisel

The story of the Palette and Chisel begins in the studio of Lorado Taft -- but that's only because one of the founding members, Charles.

The building was a recreation facility under construction, to be called Daly Hall. The intersection of the two was a rare occurrence: the blending of an industrial plant in a small, midwestern town, and a piece of custom artwork from a master craftsman. Laredo Taft was the first sculptor approached to create Mount Rushmore.

He declined the offer, he said, due to ill health. He was sought after to create a monumental carving of General Robert E. Lee into Stone Mountain, in Georgia, but declined that, too. A distant cousin of U. Taft published The History of American Sculpture , the first survey of that subject. It remained the standard reference on the subject for decades.

Laredo Taft was a late 19th and early 20th century sculptor.

It is estimated he gave more than 4, lectures in his lifetime. His studio in Chicago remains today, and has been designated a National Historic Landmark. The hall had facilities and equipment for basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, ping-pong, billiards, boxing and wrestling, as well as locker rooms, showers, social rooms and a dining room where many employees ate their lunch.

Over the years, Daly Hall blossomed into something of a community center for Robertsdale and Whiting, having been made available to organizations for fundraisers, wedding receptions, dances, parties, banquets and other gatherings. Thousands of local residents fondly recall the many roller skating parties their schools held there over the years.

This article headline appeared in the Hammond Times in September,