SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — The Olympic Cauldron at Rice-Eccles Stadium will temporarily be relocated as crews work on an expansion to the football stadium.
As part of the Ken Garff Performance Zone expansion to Rice-Eccles, the cauldron, located on the south end of the stadium will be transported to a secure location and receive a full refurbishment, which will include cleaning of the structure and replacement of glass panels.
First introduced 18 years ago for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, the cauldron is 72 feet tall and weighs around 46,000 pounds, according to Shawn Wood with the University of Utah.
Initially scheduled to be moved via crane on Feb. 13, the crane brought in was not strong enough to safely transport the cauldron.
A bigger crane was brought in on Friday and the crews successfully loaded the cauldron onto a trailer to be taken away.
Wood said the cauldron will remain in Utah during the refurbishment and should return in roughly one year.
Originally, the cauldron was within the fence of Rice-Eccles where only those inside of the stadium would have access to it. When the cauldron returns to Rice-Eccles, it will be more accessible to the public and be featured in the Cauldron Plaza, which will be outside of the stadium fence.
