St. Petersburg museum becomes home base for Babe Ruth sculpture

ST. PETERSBURG — It’s been a long time since Babe Ruth has held a bat. In St. Petersburg, however, he keeps hitting home runs.

Ruth passed away in 1948, but his legacy in St. Petersburg as a baseball player and community figure has remained ever since he spent many years spring training here with the New York Yankees in the 1920s and ’30s. With help from the St. Petersburg Museum of History and a life-size sculpture created by local artist Blake Emory, the Bambino is taking on yet another life at the downtown Pier.

The 6-foot-2 sculpture, Ruth’s actual height, was initially created for Babe Ruth Day in February, which this year coincided with the centennial of when the Yankees first trained in St. Petersburg in 1925.

Emory, a St. Petersburg resident whose expansive artwork is seen throughout the city — and elsewhere, including on some rooftops — heard about the event and the interest for a sculpture to coincide with the celebration. Emory, whose home ironically stands on the former property of a golf course that Ruth played on, couldn’t wait to get started on a design that ultimately has Ruth pointing toward center field, as he allegedly did in the 1932 World Series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, before hitting a homer to that spot.

“I felt that this was a chance to honor a hero,” said Emory, who figures that he lives on what was once the fifth hole at that golf course.

It took him nearly three months to complete the project, just in time for the Feb. 8 unveiling as part of that weekend’s activities organized by several community members. The event also featured a game between the Kids & Kubs Senior Softball Club and a team from the mayor’s office.

The weekend was a huge success, but afterward, what do you do with a sculpture of that size?

For a while, “Ruth” — who owned a home in St. Petersburg during his Yankee years — was placed in a storage area at The Lemonade Stand, an art gallery and event venue owned by Emory in the Warehouse Arts District.

The goal was to find a permanent location where the public could see it. A few ideas were floated, but nothing definite.

Until Will Michaels, the former executive director of the St. Petersburg Museum of History and an active member of the Kids & Kubs, reached out to the museum to see if it would have interest. It did.

“Will Michaels called (and we liked the idea),” said Rui Farias, the current executive director of the museum. “We had a lot of discussion as to where it would fit. First, we thought inside. Decided that would not work. Then we agreed that putting it outside would be the perfect location. It’s the right place for it.”

As it turns out, it is more than perfect. While Ruth is seemingly pointing to center field at Wrigley, he is also pointing now to where the former Waterfront Park was, where Ruth smacked what many believe was the longest home run ever hit there.

“When we realized that, it made it really the best spot,” said Farias.

“It’s an honor to have it here,” continued Farias, adding that it is also the perfect complement to the museum’s autographed baseball exhibit that includes balls signed by Ruth and other legendary players such as Jackie Robinson, and a selection of Ruth-related materials. The autographed baseball exhibit, with over 5,000 balls, is certified by Guinness World Records as the largest collection of its kind, according to the museum’s website. The exhibit also includes stories and artifacts about Ruth and other baseball greats and examines women’s professional baseball and the Negro Leagues.

With its placement near the entranceway to the Pier, thousands of people every year will be able to view the sculpture. It will undoubtedly become a coveted selfie spot.

Emory, who is also a filmmaker and whose works extend well beyond sculpture, is overwhelmed that the Babe has found a home.

“I am honored to not only continue the legacy of inspiration from such an icon like Babe Ruth, but equally excited to be part of the St. Petersburg Museum of History,” he said.

An official ceremony highlighting the museum’s newest piece is expected to happen soon. Unofficially, the Babe is already at bat and looking to hit another homer.

For more information about the museum, visit spmoh.com.