Iconic ‘Miss Nitro’ statue on the move in light of damage, library expansion

A certain 14-foot tall and 50-foot long work of bronze is missing from outside the Highland Park Public Library. 

“Miss Nitro,” a public art piece that has resided outside the library’s front lawn at Laurel and St. Johns Avenue since 1973, was disassembled earlier this month as the City began the process of renovating and relocating the sculpture by famous artist Peter Voulkos. 

The conservation efforts will treat the damage done to the surface of the sculpture from years of lawn mowers, corrosive weed eaters, water runoff and etched graffiti, as well as restore the piece’s original black patina look from before it was painted over during the city’s last renovation in the 1990s.

Yet “Miss Nitro” won’t return home after its restoration. That’s because the 7,580-square foot addition slated for the west side of Highland Park Public Library will expand the building’s footprint over its existing lawn on Laurel Avenue, where Miss Nitro was located. 

During a recent April 14 meeting, Highland Park City Council members discussed but did not ultimately confirm relocating Miss Nitro to a parcel of land near the intersection of Central Avenue and Deerfield Road that is owned by the Arbor Terrace Highland Park, an assisted living facility. 

City staff recommended moving Miss Nitro to that location given its high visibility to serve as a potential “gateway” to downtown Highland Park and Arbor Terrace’s offer to accommodate the statue at no cost to the city as part of a private-public agreement. 

City Manager Ghida Neukirch said the city is currently negotiating with Arbor Terrace “but anticipates a smooth transition” to move the sculpture onto the property. 

“The City greatly appreciates the partnership of Arbor Terrace Highland Park in exploring the relocation of the sculpture to their property, and anticipates the matter coming before the City Council this summer,” said Amanda Bennett, Highland Park’s communications manager, in an email.

The city’s Cultural Arts Advisory Group recommended relocating “Miss Nitro” to Brown Park. 

City staff explored Brown Park as an alternative location but determined the sculpture would limit the potential of the park space as a destination for community gatherings and put the long-term health of “Miss Nitro” at risk of more people interacting and climbing on it in a residential setting. 

The council voted 5-0 during that April 14 meeting to approve a $131,731 contract with the Pacific Coast Conservation group to disassemble Miss Nitro, transport it to an off-site storage facility managed by the City, restore the sculpture and oversee its installation at its new location. 

During an August 2024 evaluation, PCC determined “Miss Nitro” is in “fair to poor condition overall” with extensive paint loss and heavily corroded parts. Its structural integrity “appears to be good and mostly intact” but the “condition of the bronze surface beneath the paint is uncertain.”

“Miss Nitro”‘s bronze pieces were welded together on-site by Voulkos during its summer of 1973 installation. The work was commissioned through a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts that was matched, dollar for dollar, by Highland Park volunteers, according to a city of Highland Park website.

Once revealed, “Miss Nitro” sparked intense reactions from residents who reportedly suggested it be dumped in Lake Michigan. Its title, a tribute to a nearby “exotic dancer,” caused the work to be formally recognized as “Untitled” until the “Miss Nitro” name was restored in 2023. 

A split City Council voted 5-2 in January to approve Highland Park Public Library’s expansion, which will add two new ADA-accessible restrooms, an archives storage room, a creative studio, a 175-seat meeting room and approximately 25% more space for youth services in the building than its current layout. 

In voting against the public library’s expansion alongside Councilmember Andrés Tapia, Councilmember Annette Lidawer cited her concerns that the addition will remove what’s known as Highland Park’s front lawn. 

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