Phoenix cafe installs ‘Lunch Atop a Skyscraper’ replica sculpture

Dec 26, 2021, 9:00 AM | Updated: 11:31 am

(Photo courtesy of Giving Tree Cafe)

PHOENIX — Giving Tree Cafe, a vegan restaurant in Phoenix, has installed the largest piece of street art in the city, according to a press release.

The eatery is now showcasing a life-sized replica sculpture of Charles Ebbets’ iconic photo “Lunch Atop a Skyscraper.”

The 1932 photo displays 11 steelworkers eating lunch on a girder 53 stories above the ground in New York City.

The sculpture is 20 feet tall, 24 feet wide and made out of clay, fiberglass resin, steel, wood, textiles, rubber and chrome, according to the release.

It was sculpted by Blake Emory and produced by Gregory Kirschenbaum.

The piece took roughly two years to produce and was in storage when Giving Tree Cafe owner David Warr learned about it after talking with Kirschenbaum, according to the release.

Warr wanted to display it.

“Many haven’t been able to enjoy the arts scene for quite some time,” Warr said in the release. “I wanted to bring this sculpture back to life as a sign of strength, hope and togetherness.”

The workers in the photo were a part of the crew that built the Rockefeller Center, a building that signaled hope during the Great Depression.

“’Lunch Atop a Skyscraper’ stands as a testament to our resourcefulness and resilience,” Warr said in the release. “Our community has been through a challenging couple of years. Yet, we pulled ourselves up from our bootstraps, and we’ve grown stronger.”

Giving Tree Cafe is located at 2024 N 7th Street in Phoenix.

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