Save the Star Map at Hoover Dam
Oskar J. W. Hansen’s Winged Figures of the Republic and terrazzo Star Map at Hoover Dam. (Photo by Aaron Street)
December 2023 Update: Months after the launch of our “Save the Star Map” campaign, the government continues to stall the restoration of this art masterpiece: https://www.oskarjwhansen.org/news/save-the-star-map-december-2023-update.
Oskar J. W. Hansen’s Famed Hoover Dam Sculpture is at Risk - Your Help is Needed!
An important piece of historic artwork by renowned sculptor Oskar J. W. Hansen at Hoover Dam is in danger of permanent loss, warns Aaron Street, founder of the Oskar J. W. Hansen Archives. The Hoover Dam Star Map—a famously intricate and mysterious terrazzo design at the base of Hansen’s monumental Winged Figures of the Republicbronze statues—is currently in a demolished state due to a stalled restoration project. Concerned citizens urge government officials to “Save the Star Map.”
Hoover Dam Monument Plaza Restoration Project is Stalled
In early 2022, contractors hired by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (“BOR”) began a comprehensive restoration of Oskar J.W. Hansen’s sculptures on the monument plaza of Hoover Dam. These famous sculptures were installed at Hoover Dam in the 1930s and after years of weather wear were badly in need of repair.
As part of the restoration, Hansen’s famed Winged Figures statues were sandblasted and had a new artificial patina painted on them.
Restoration plans for Hansen’s terrazzo Star Map were more complex and required the complete demolition of the existing terrazzo so a new drainage system could be built underneath, and new terrazzo installed.
Soon after the Star Map was demolished in the summer of 2022, the project has been indefinitely stalled due to unexpected repair needs, leaving the beloved monument absent from the public eye and its future uncertain.
No meaningful work has been done on the stalled project since last November and it is nearing a full year that Hoover Dam has been without the Star Map. Multiple emails to the government’s project manager have gone unanswered. The contractor hired by the government to run the project has been virtually shut down for the last six months, unable to work on this or any other projects until the government approves a new plan to move forward.
Delays in the project risk that the expert terrazzo artists hired to rebuild the Star Map might no longer be available to complete their work and the Star Map is at risk of additional years of destruction if the project isn’t restarted soon.
“The loss of Oskar’s Star Map, a testament to artistic vision and scientific precision, would not only be a blow to art enthusiasts but to all Hoover Dam visitors.”
Oskar J. W. Hansen constructing the Star Map in the 1930s. (Photo by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation)
Importance of Oskar J. W. Hansen’s Mysterious Star Map
Oskar J. W. Hansen’s 1930s sculptures at Hoover Dam have been loved by millions of visitors for almost 90 years.
His primary artwork at the dam’s monument plaza consists of his massive Winged Figures bronzes on a black diorite stand out of which the dam’s flagpole is mounted. At the base of these statues is a plaza constructed in terrazzo as an enigmatic Star Map sculpture.
This masterpiece—so complex it required hundreds of thousands of precise astronomical calculations by Hansen, the Smithsonian, and the U.S. Navy—maps a group of planets and star constellations to depict a 26,000-year “clock” by tracking what’s known as the precession of the equinoxes. Through his 26,000-year clock design, the Star Map shows the planetary alignments at the exact moment President Franklin Delano Roosevelt dedicated Hoover Dam in 1935 alongside other significant moments in human history.
“Oskar Hansen viewed the construction of Hoover Dam as among the most important creative achievements in human history and found an amazingly creative way to combine his passions for art and science to convey his feelings about the importance of Hoover Dam in sculpture,” said Street.
The current restoration work is the second time the terrazzo has been rebuilt, with a first restoration project completed by terrazzo artist Julius Bartoli in 1958.
“I’m very concerned that my father’s first restoration of the Star Map has been demolished and that it seems like there’s now no plan to rebuild it,” said Julius Bartoli’s son, Larry Bartoli, who has been following the restoration project closely and even drove from Texas to Nevada in 2022 to provide the government with his father’s 1958 restoration files. “Last year we were told there would be a reopening in March of 2023 and now even if they’re able to get the project restarted immediately it won’t be done until next summer in 2024.”
Hoover Dam Star Map terrazzo star clusters after demolition. (Photo by Aaron Street)
Concerned Citizens Launch “Save the Star Map” Campaign
The Oskar J. W. Hansen Archives, concerned for the risk of long-term or even permanent destruction of Oskar’s masterpiece, have launched a “Save the Star Map” campaign to engage the public in expressing its concerns and to persuade the government to get the project going again before it’s too late.
"The loss of Oskar's Star Map, a testament to artistic vision and scientific precision, would not only be a blow to art enthusiasts but to all Hoover Dam visitors," says Aaron Street. "The artwork represents significant moments in human history, embedded in a cosmic timeline. It’s a symbol of the long history and future of human achievement and an important piece of American history that deserves immediate restoration. We urgently ask the government to begin work again.”
"We are deeply concerned about the status of the restoration project," continues Street. "We appeal to the Bureau of Reclamation, the contractor, political leaders in Nevada, and art enthusiasts everywhere to mobilize resources and restore Oskar's legacy at Hoover Dam."
In response to the crisis, the Oskar J. W. Hansen Archives is rallying supporters and the public to contact the Bureau of Reclamation, media outlets, and political leaders to ensure the restoration project is swiftly restarted.
"Time is of the essence," adds Street. "The longer this remains unresolved, the higher the risk of Oskar’s significant artwork being lost forever. We owe it to future generations to preserve and restore this masterpiece to its original glory."
How to Help Save the Star Map
Here are a few simple ways you can help Save the Star Map:
Email Hoover Dam officials at the Bureau of Reclamation and ask them to get the project back on track.
Contact your Members of Congress and ask them to urge the Bureau of Reclamation to get the project restarted.
Share this page on your social media.
Sign up for our email newsletter to hear about updates to the Save the Star Map campaign and other Oskar J. W. Hansen research updates from the archives.
