The 101-Foot Batcolumn: Chi-Town's whimsical wonder - shade of gray and a tad

The Batcolumn, towering over Chi-Town like ten city buses stacked, is made from a gray-painted stuff called COR-TEN steel. It's shaped like a bat, decked out in hues reminding us of a certain sports team. The bat's knob is a shade of gray, while a bright, attention-grabbing red was the original designer, Claes Oldenburg's, plan. However, Chicago's architectural review board gave a big ol' 'No' to the red downtown, so it's now just called 'The Bat'.

Not just any ol' Bat, mind you. Some see it as a civic monument, others as an artwork, some even think it's a joke. It's been in Chi-Town since 1977 and has faced its share of victories, defeats, strikes, and bats. Yet, it remains as stubborn as a mule, standing tall and under a cloud of controversy, sorta like the city itself. Today, the architectural blueprints are still a mystery, hiding secrets like the original plans. All we can do now is gaze upon the Batcolumn and ponder what could have been.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons