`Levitated Mass’ Rolls Into Place At Los Angeles Museum

A 340-ton hunk of granite arrived its new home today at the Los Angeles County of Museum of Art, where it will be suspended above a trench walkway as part of a permanent exhibit called “Levitated Mass.”

The boulder, suspended from a 200-foot-plus-long cargo-handling rig with cables, steel tangs and chain come-alongs, made its way west along Wilshire Boulevard in the wee hours, with hundreds of people looking on and museum officials updating its progress on Twitter.

As of about 4:10 a.m., the rock was moving west on Wilshire past Hauser Boulevard.

In its final mile, the moving crew paused for a photo-op in front of LACMA’s “Urban Light” exhibit, before turning north on Fairfax Avenue, then east on West Sixth Street to its permanent home on the museum’s north lawn.

Hundreds of people came out to watch the monolith move across city streets, as crews removed traffic signal poles and other obstructions to make turns. Dozens of cars parked along Wilshire Boulevard in Koreatown and the Mid-Wilshire area were towed overnight to make room for the behemoth. Those who had vehicles towed can expect to pay at least $259.50 to get their cars out of an city impound lot.

The sculpture is the brainchild of artist Michael Heizer. When the exhibit opens — sometime early this summer — museum visitors will pass under the mass via 456-foot-long walkway that is about 15 feet deep at one point.

Vendors and food trucks set up around the museum to cater to the crowd following the progress of the star rock. A 5k run dubbed “Running of the Rock” started about the time the guest of honor arrived at the museum about 4:30 a.m.

The 105-mile journey from where the rock was quarried in Riverside County took 11 nights. The monolith is heavier than the giant limestone blocks that were moved great distances by the ancients to build the pyramids at Giza, Egypt.

Today, LACMA will be closed, but parking at the museum will be free at Wilshire and Spaulding Avenue. For $10, parking will be available at The Petersen Museum at Wilshire and Fairfax.

Once at the museum, it will take two to three weeks to maneuver the boulder into its resting place.