The Suwanee City Council voted recently to accept a donation of the Berlin wall public art piece that has been displayed over the past few years in front of Suwanee City Hall and the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center in Lawrenceville. The 12-foot-high, 8,000-pound section of wall has been on loan from Suwanee Grill owners Suzanne Cartwright and Ray Stanjevich, a Serbian immigrant, who bought the piece at auction for $23,500 in 2013.
The iconic wall once isolated West Berlin from East Germany during the Cold War. In news coverage shown around the globe, protesters tore down the wall in 1989 followed by the reunification of Germany the next year.
The wall piece has a certificate of authenticity after tests on the concrete and rebar confirmed its materials consistent with those used in Germany in the early 1960s. The western-facing section now owned by the city is painted with an American flag, a silhouetted figure and three buildings. The side that once faced East Berlin is mostly devoid of graffiti.
About the Author
