Baltimore to build a 236-foot-tall illuminated metal sculpture

Paris has the Eiffel Tower.

St. Louis has the Gateway Arch.

And Baltimore could soon have a monumental work of art if a developer is successful in his quest to place a 236-foot-tall illuminated metal sculpture on the city's waterfront as a focal point of a $1.5-billion development.

The sculpture would be one of the tallest works of art in the United States and visible for miles around, said Pat Turner, president of Turner Development Group. The art tower is part of a larger economic development strategy to call attention to the waterfront project that includes housing, offices, shops, a hotel and recreational space.

"We want the sculpture to be the center of attention of the project," Turner said. "It does for Baltimore what the arch does in St. Louis. It would become a symbol of the region."