<P> The sculpture was fabricated by the American Bridge Company division of the United States Steel Corporation in Gary, Indiana using COR - TEN steel, before being disassembled and relocated to Chicago . The steel for this statue was rolled in the USS Gary Works 160 / 210" plate mill, then the largest rolling mill of its kind in the world . Before fabrication of the final steel sculpture was started, a 3.5 meter (~ 12 feet) tall wooden model was constructed for Picasso to approve, this was eventually sent to the Gary Career Center . Ground was broken in Daley Plaza for the construction of the sculpture on May 25, 1967 . </P> <P> The efforts of the City of Chicago to publicize the sculpture--staging a number of press events before the sculpture was completed, and displaying the maquette without a copyright notice--were cited as evidence in a 1970 U.S. District Court case where the judge ruled that the city's actions had resulted in the sculpture being dedicated to the public domain . </P> <P> The sculpture was initially met with controversy . Before the Picasso sculpture, public sculptural artwork in Chicago was mainly of historical figures . One derisive Chicago City Council alderman, John Hoellen, immediately proposed replacing it with a statue of Ernie Banks, and Chicago publicist and science fiction writer Algis Budrys erected a giant pickle on the proposed site . There was speculation on the subject, which has ranged from a bird, or aardvark to Picasso's pet Afghan Hound, a baboon head, or the Egyptian deity Anubis . </P> <P> Newspaper columnist Mike Royko, covering the unveiling of the sculpture, wrote: "Interesting design, I'm sure . But the fact is, it has a long stupid face and looks like some giant insect that is about to eat a smaller, weaker insect ." Royko did credit Picasso with understanding the soul of Chicago . "Its eyes are like the eyes of every slum owner who made a buck off the small and weak . And of every building inspector who took a wad from a slum owner to make it all possible...You'd think he'd been riding the L all his life ." </P>

The chicago picasso was controversial because of its great cost to the city