The Granite Trio
Date created: Oct 01, 2023
Granite sculpture created by Eagan Minnesota sculptor, Antony Caponi.
The “Granite Trio” was commissioned by the St. Cloud Community Arts Council. The plan for incorporating a sculpture into the downtown Mall Germain originated with the members of the Arts Council, who spent a year searching for an artist that could create a piece of work that would serve as the crown jewel of the downtown mall area. Anthony Caponi’s work was chosen from among several artists who submitted drawings and models for a large participatory sculpture, and in July 1973, Caponi began sculpting the 32 ton, three-piece sculpture.
Anthony Caponi began sculpting the two large granite pieces known as The Castle and The Sentinal, and the third piece The Jewel Stone, a glacial boulder which was donated by a local farmer, at the Moonlight Grey Quarry of the Cold Spring Granite Company. After the initial shaping, the stones were put in place at the mall and the final carving took place there. Caponi finished the sculpture in 2 months, working non-stop and often working 18 hours a day.
As part of the re-dedication event the paving stones surrounding the sculptures were redone and a stone two new plaques with information about the sculpture were added. The full Granite Trio film can be viewed at the link below.
