PARIC Installs 35,000-pound Gold Glove

A new 35,000-pound icon is now home at the Rawlings Sporting Goods headquarters in St. Louis County. The 30-foot Gold Glove monument was successfully erected, lifted and secured to the top of the Gold Building at Westport Plaza, a complex operation lead by PARIC.

The fabrication of steel, erection and the lift required immense planning and coordination. “This was once in a lifetime project that changes our city’s skyline,” said a PARIC project manager, Jennifer Scott. “Our focus was on two non-negotiable principles – precise execution and safety. Every decision was filtered through that lens.”

The sheer scale of the 35,000-lb (17.5-ton) Gold Glove statue presented unique challenges. PARIC’s team began collaborating early with the project’s structural engineer, IMEG, to ensure the building’s structure could support the permanent load. A steel platform was erected to ensure adequate load-bearing capacity and roof-line support for the glove. Hoisting an object with the weight and significance to the top of a building demanded a rigging and lifting plan of equal magnitude. Close collaboration was critical in creating the hoisting cage, determining the exact pick points, evaluating load distribution and identifying the specific rigging hardware required to safely maneuver the monument. The team conducted numerous simulations and calculations to anticipate every variable.

To execute the lift, PARIC partnered with ACME Erectors and Barnhart Crane and Rigging using 900-ton Liebherr LTM 1750-9.1 mobile crane. This specific model is engineered for the most demanding lifts, with a telescopic boom that can extend to the necessary height while maintaining the stability and precision required for such a delicate operation.

The crane’s immense capacity was essential not just for the weight, but for the control. Operators from Barnhart worked in seamless communication with PARIC’s ground crew and spotters to guide the glove on its ascent. The lift path was carefully choreographed to avoid the building facade and plaza below.

The successful installation marks a pivotal moment for the Rawlings headquarters project, transforming the building into an unmistakable landmark and a tribute to St. Louis’s deep-rooted connection to the game of baseball.