The case of the stolen hammer sculpture was partially solved when the 6-feet tall metal hammerhead was returned earlier this month to the city of Healdsburg.
However, it wasn’t quite intact.
The prominent redwood and metal sculpture was missing its 21-foot redwood handle, yet now the pieces are coming back together as Healdsburg Unified School District Maintenance and Operations Supervisor Rob Smith is donating a 30-foot chunk of redwood to the hammer sculptor, Doug Unkrey.
“We had plenty to choose from,” Smith said of the redwood tree debris available.
Smith added that there were several trees near the Healdsburg High School Smith Robinson Gym that had to be removed along with dead redwoods on other school sites in the district.
Smith said Unkrey will pick up the giant chunk of redwood in the next couple of weeks, however, he added it might take more than a forklift to place the large piece onto a flatbed truck.
Officially named “The Hammer,” the sculpture became a puzzling, city-wide mystery after it was stolen from its home at the front Healdsburg Community Center lawn in October.
It wasn’t until earlier this month when Santa Rosa Attorney Izaak Schwaiger contacted the Healdsburg Police Department reporting that the hammerhead was found on his Sonoma County client’s lawn.
In a press release last week, Judy Voigt, co-founder of the Voigt Family Sculpture Foundation said of the incident, “We believe the hammer snatcher had an attack of guilty conscience and decided to do their best to make amends … This is a celebration of art and honesty … We don’t know why it was taken, but we’re glad to have it back.”
