A Richard Hunt sculpture owned by the City of Niles is about to come out of hiding.

On Monday, the Niles City Council approved the acceptance of a $15,000 grant from the Huizenga Family Foundation that will pay for the installation of the sculpture — called Hybrid Form II — near the northwest corner of Front and Main Streets in downtown Niles.

Jeanne Watson, chairperson of the Niles Public Art Commission, said the sculpture is one step in a long-term goal of making the city a destination for art tourism.

“Tourists mean money,” she said. “Tourism brings more money into Michigan than any other thing. … Public art is a big thing across the nation for bringing in people.”

The sculpture was donated to the city more than 40 years ago. Hunt is an internationally renowned artist whose works appear in collections and museums from New York to France. Hybrid Form II is worth an estimated $300,000, according to the NPAC.

The sculpture was originally located on the southeast side of the Niles Main Street Bridge, but was removed when the bridge was replaced in 2015. The sculpture has been in storage ever since with members of the NPAC and city officials debating the best place for it to be reinstalled.

In a visit to Niles, Hunt himself suggested that the sculpture be placed at the northwest corner of Main and Front streets.

Watson said she is pleased that the city agreed to place it where Hunt wanted.

“I think it will really add something to Niles and it is really complementary of the new bridge,” she said. “When you come in from Berrien Springs or when you come over the new bridge that will shout ‘public art.’”

Joe Ray, the city’s director of public works, said Northern Construction would install the surface upon which the sculpture will sit at a cost of $15,862. The Public Works Department expects an additional $750 will be incurred by the city for the movement and placement of the sculpture and the purchase of recognition plaques for the sculpture and the Huizenga Family Foundation.

Ray said no tentative date has been set for work to begin. He said he expects to learn of a date within a week or two because Northern Construction is in the middle of construction season. Ray expects construction to last less than a week.

Watson said the NPAC would like to host a rededication ceremony once the project is finished, hopefully with the artist present.

Watson thanked Judy Truesdell and James Scarpone for helping secure the funding from the Huizenga Family Foundation. She also thanked the Huizenga Family Foundation for the donation on behalf of the NPAC.

“I think it is fabulous that they recognized the importance of that piece and are willing to fund that,” she said.