The eagle statues that sit on the gates at Toomer's Corner have been missing for a few weeks--but don't worry, they didn't fly away.
The statues were sent to The Lathan Company's Washington, D.C., office for repairs and restoration on Nov. 11.
Among the eagles' damage was something no one expected--a coating of red paint under the surface of both eagles.
Lathan Company artisans discovered the paint while cleaning the statues last week.
"Apparently the paint is an aerosol type and confined to the breast and front of the eagles," said Jerry Lathan, founder and CEO of The Lathan Company. "It is (on) both statues and will require a great deal more work on our part to remove."
The company has no information regarding who painted the eagles or when.
"The guy I talked to at the University has been there 20 something years and he didn't know anything about it," Lathan said. "It looks like it happened a long time ago, definitely at least 30 years.
"I'm still waiting on my guys to do a little bit more, but short of sending it to some CSI lab, we probably won't find out what happened."
The eagles have made their home at Toomer's Corner for decades.
They were donated by William C. "Red" Sugg, a 1931 Auburn graduate, but they weren't placed on the gates until later.
"The gates were a gift of the class of 1917," said Hal Smith, a volunteer for Special Collections and Archives and a 1984 Auburn graduate. "Originally the gates were crowned with a couple of spheres.
"In the 1960 Glom the gates still had the spheres. In the 1965 Glom, the eagles were there. So I think it's safe to say they were placed sometime in the early 1960s."
The statues were originally sent away to reattach a broken piece.
"The one that was on the college street side during one of the post-game celebrations this year had its beak knocked off," said Mike Clardy, director of University Communication Services. "I want to say it was the first one on Sept. 3."
Facilities staff chose The Lathan Company for the repair because of its reputation as one of the top restorers of stonework and masonry in the nation. It also happens to be run by a self-proclaimed "Auburn man."
Auburn decided to send both eagles for touch-ups.
"With some carving tools were going to restore some of the detailing that was on them (where) you can see some of the weathered features now," Lathan said. "They'll be a little crisper looking."
Lathan said the statues are made out of a carved white marble that is not suitable to sit outside for many years.
"They're not going to live forever in a weathering environment," Lathan said. "My suggestion to Auburn is that we have some kind of campaign to replace them. If we wanted to have a nice retirement party after 100 years, put them in the president's office or the library or somewhere that can be viewed by lots of people."
Lathan suggested granite or bronze to replace the marble statues.
Whether Auburn plans to take Lathan's advice and replace the eagles in the future, the statues are expected to be back in place by Christmas.
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