It’s hard to miss the 70-foot-tall blue saxophone as you drive down Richmond Avenue [in Houston].
Its name is Smokesax, and it has been at that location on 6025 Richmond for the past 20 years. But Wednesday, the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, a local folk art organization [mentioned previously here], announced it is going to acquire the oversize horn, which is made out of car parts, oil field pipes and a surfboard, as well as an entire Volkswagen Beetle that forms the U-joint at its base.
The big brass was built by legendary Texas artist Bob Wade as a special installation for Billy Blues Bar & Grill. It was fully restored three years ago, and the current property owners, Kensinger Properties Ltd., said they wanted the Orange Show to ensure the piece would be preserved for future generations.
The saxophone will be removed from its current location at 10 a.m. on Feb. 28. The process to remove the massive piece will take a full day. Then, Smokesax will begin its 13-mile journey from Richmond Avenue to Munger Street. Artist Bob Wade will be overseeing the entire removal and transportation. Once at the Orange Show, it will be housed in the organization’s warehouse until an exact location has been chosen for permanent display.
![In landmark art preservation news:
It’s hard to miss the 70-foot-tall blue saxophone as you drive down Richmond Avenue [in Houston].
Its name is Smokesax, and it has been at that location on 6025 Richmond for the past 20 years. But Wednesday, the …](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/55a74557e4b0b80ded0421f1/1437979111051-LDHSAT41TZ9D7F4RUMR3/image-asset.jpeg)
