Community Corner

'There's No Place Like Home' for Tin Man

Oak Forest's own Tin Man will return to his perch atop King Heating and Air Conditioning Saturday, May 7 at noon.

He's 88 pounds of sheet metal, two light-bulbs, a crown and a plastered-on smile: an Oak Forest icon whose long journey home ends on Saturday at noon. 

The Tin Man's trip back to his own Oz—atop King Heating and Air Conditioning, 4813 W. 159th St. in Oak Forest—will come full circle on the fourth anniversary of the day he was taken down.

The Tin Man originally came down for a paint job and a tune-up—the sheet metal needs an occasional coat of paint. When the original owner Jack King tried re-mounted the Tin Man, he was told it was not in compliance with a city ordinance that required such objects to be perched five feet above the roof.

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Over the past 18 months, Willson campaigned for an exception that would allow him to place the statue back on its perch. After the variance failed to receive a supermajority vote at the Dec. 1 meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission, Willson decided to push through to the city council. The aldermen approved his return at a Jan. 25 meeting.

With the proper materials, including a plate of steel attached to his feet and one attached to the roof, King Heating and Air Conditioning is in full compliance of the variance required for his return.

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And for Willson, it's about time.

"It's been a long road fighting city hall," Willson said. "It has not been cheap, either."

Bobby Cowgill, who has advocated for the Tin Man and escorted him on his busy schedule of public appearances, said the Tin Man's return to the rooftop is a small victory, with a powerful meaning.

"It's symbolic that the little guy can win," Cowgill said.

Willson will put out all the stops for the noon celebration Saturday: pizzas, clowns, and a 20-ton crane to lift the Tin Man back where he belongs.

"I'm going to make it as cool as possible," Willson said. "Rain or shine, he's going up.

"He's waterproof."

Residents React to News of Tin Man's Return

What our Facebook fans had to say the day after aldermen approved the variance:

  • Laura Grabe: My mom used to work for king heating, and as a child i remember going up there and seeing the tin man on the roof. ... Used to entertain myself with stories about how he got there from 'Oz' put him back on the roof!
  • Wendy Master: We want him back!
  • Carol Dace Flannigan: Put him up where he belongs!
  • Casey Reynolds Cloud: Even as a kid I used to look for that Tin man when we were driving. ... I hope it comes back.


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