Local artist Larry Strickland on Thursday unveiled his first sketches of a Bulldog that will be placed in the plaza area of the Andalusia High School stadium as part of a major renovation project.

Members of the Andalusia Educational Building Authority agreed to move forward with the project with Strickland as the artist. Strickland, who designed the Trojan statue located on the main quad of Troy University, explained that once a drawing is finalized, he’ll sculpt the Bulldog in wood and clay. An Atlanta-area company will use the sculpture to make a mold, and the Bulldog will be cast in bronze. The Bulldog will rest on an approximately four-foot tall pedestal on the plaza entrance.

 

 

“The Bulldog is going to be in the center of the new entrance plaza,” building authority president Dr. Charles Eldridge said. “It is going to be a symbolic representation of the school, and the spirit of the Bulldog. It’s made possible by a local business.”

The sponsor is expected to be announced in the near future.

Strickland said the Bulldog’s head will be cast separately, so that the molds could also be used to cast gargoyle-like Bulldogs to be added to the stadium entrance if board members wanted to do so.

The authority has been raising private funds for the major overhauls of the stadium and the AHS auditorium, and to date has contributions and pledges for more than $800,000. The total project is expected to cost approximately $8 million.