Legendary, Sometimes-Functioning Structure Returns to Port Authority Bus Terminal

It took several months and $125,000, but the finicky "42nd Street Ballroom" sculpture is being reinstalled this weekend at the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Officials say it will be operational sometime Monday.

The George Rhoads sculpture, which has been a fixture at the terminal since 1983, is encased in an eight-foot glass cube. Metal balls ricochet inside, dropping through metal bowls, clacking on tracks, and running down a xylophone. But because it requires precisely balanced mechanisms to work, it seemed to be broken more often than not. Finally, in August, it was sent to a company in Tuscon to be repaired.

When it is back up and running, it should look the same — with one difference: rather than being activated by a motion sensor when people walked by, the sculpture will run on a timer. The goal: to give it a break once in a while in what is the busiest bus terminal in the country. The sculpture will also have a push button, so that viewers can turn it on at will.

"We believe this will allow the sculpture to function more efficiently, turning on not due to random movement," said Port Authority spokesman Neal Buccino.

Here's what it looked like before leaving the terminal this summer.

The "42nd Street Ballroom" by George Rhoads is a 1983 artwork. It's been a fixture in the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

(Kate Hinds )