Tag: Stanley Marsh 3

Stanley Marsh 3, the eccentric millionaire, artist and prankster of Amarillo, Texas, has passed away.

Although he was best known for his commissioning of the world-famous roadside attraction Cadillac Ranch, Marsh was responsible for multiple unusual projects around Amarillo, including "Floating Mesa" — a landform painted to look as though its top were suspended in midair — and a series of fake road signs bearing phrases like "Road Does Not End" and "Steal This Sign."

Marsh died yesterday at the age of 76. This Saturday marks the 40th anniversary of Cadillac Ranch.

"So, here we are, trying to relive something that happened 30 years ago."

The facetious cry came from behind one of the 10 classic cars that make up the roadside art piece known as Cadillac Ranch. On Sunday, a local art group had been charged with covering the upright vehicles in a fresh, white coat in preparation for festivities the next day.

An unending stream of sarcastic remarks followed, mostly in reference to the quality of the paint. It wasn't sticking to the vehicles very well, though thanks to the harsh Panhandle winds, it had no problem covering the ground and splattering anyone standing in the vicinity.

The painters were an eccentric — some might call crazy — bunch known as the Dynamite Museum, the art collective that carries out much of the creation and maintenance for the public art pieces dreamed up by Stanley Marsh 3, the man responsible for Cadillac Ranch. This time, they were prepping the automotive attraction for its 30th anniversary, after which they would be camping overnight to protect it from acquiring any new graffiti before the next day. ... Continued

Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo's graffiti-covered roadside icon, underwent a major change of coloration yesterday as each of the 10 vehicles was covered over with flat-black paint.

The stark change was in response to the recent death of Doug Michels, a founding member of Ant Farm, the artists' collective responsible for Cadillac Ranch's conception. Michels fell to his death on June 12 while climbing to a whale-observation point at Eden Bay, Australia.

Stanley Marsh 3, the eccentric millionaire who sponsored the creation of Cadillac Ranch, decided to paint the attraction black after speaking with Michels's father and friends. According to Marsh, they said flat black was his favorite color.

Marsh said the dark paint job is therefore not in mourning, but in memory.

It's hardly 30 years old, but already it's gotten a face-lift.

Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo's world-famous lineup of half-buried Caddies, was treated yesterday to a makeover. As part of their Save-A-Landmark campaign, Hampton Inns restored eccentric millionaire Stanley Marsh 3's roadside icon to its former glory.

Over the years, the ten Cadillacs comprising the work of art have been ravaged by the elements and covered over with years of ever-changing graffiti. Hampton Inns, which has been working to restore such landmarks along historic Route 66, painted the classic vehicles to the original yellow, blue and green hues that they sported when first buried back in 1974. The cars were also given new tires.

However, since it has become common practice to bring a can of spray paint when visiting the attraction and leave one's mark, the restoration is unlikely to last very long.