Eddie, Southampton’s most famous pooch with his creator Robert Lohman

Southampton Village’s tallest four-legged citizen lives on Windmill Lane, and his name is Eddie. The concept of Eddie was originally born in the spring of 2008 when the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons contacted Southampton Village resident and artist, Robert Lohman, looking for a “big dog” to mark the entry of their annual summer party in Bridgehampton.  Robert shares, “I had been helping ARF with their fundraising events on and off for the last 20 years, so I was glad to jump in. My idea was to create a twelve-foot sculpture by fitting together jig-saw cut-outs from standard 4×8 sheets of plywood [below]. I started with four-by-eight inch scale cardboard squares, and got to work on a design.”

Lohman [below] adds, “Once the model was worked out, I cut full-size pieces from ¾” birch plywood. The panels were primed and painted a bright orange-red, and went off to the party in August. Everyone felt the dog deserved a name, and Eddie seemed a fit. Eddie has received a lot of love standing guard out-of-doors. He now lives in Wainscott and still attends many ARF events. Last spring, I heard from a group developing the new dog park in Southampton Village asking if I might donate a permanent Eddie. The park is down the street from where I live, so I quickly agreed.”

“The first step was building a full-scale mock-up of Eddie and taking him to the future park to select a site. It was decided to fabricate his likeness from 1/2 inch steel with a powder coat finish. Powder coating is one of the most durable color finishes available for metal, and we wanted to be sure he’d survive all the attention he’d be getting from people and pets alike, not to mention weathering the elements. An engineering study was done for wind load in the event of a major storm, and a plan for a sturdy foundation was created.”

Lohman adds, “I supplied Liberty Iron with templates for all of Eddie’s parts, and checked on his progress over the next few months. Once Liberty had manufactured all of Eddie’s pieces and welded them together, he went up island for his red powder coating.  It meant that all 2,300 pounds of Eddie had to be trucked away, spray-coated, baked off, and then delivered to the new park. The final installation took a huge crane and a six-man crew to place, bolt, and weld him to the foundation.”

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The new park has proven to be a big hit with local dog owners and their canine friends. Eddie welcomes all to run and play for years to come. He seems happy in his new home. Stop by and see him some time on Windmill Lane, which is next to the police station. You can’t miss him.

You really can’t.

** To see more of Robert Lohman’s observations of residential design in the Hamptons check out his blog, which is formatted as a diary with one new photo and caption each day. Topics include: Historic Homes, New Constructions, Tasteful Restorations, Rescues, Great Gardens, Moments in Nature and Timely Activities on the East End of Long Island. Rob  also have a photo blog about my road trips at:  www.RMLroadtrips.com