Meet the latest St. Paul icon: A nearly three-story tall loon statue.

This 33-foot-tall and 88-foot-wide bird is positioned outside of Allianz Field near the Snelling Avenue stop on the Metro Green Line and lit by Suelo Dual Optic from Linea Light. Suelo is a family of round LED in-grades that includes a broad selection of specialty optics in multiple sizes and outputs, making it possible to find the perfect luminaire to illuminate a wide range of outdoor architectural elements. Suelo Dual Optic allows light to be aimed at two different areas from one fixture.

Scottish artist Andy Scott designed the piece. In a 2023 interview with MPR News ahead of the installation, Scott said he was asked to come up with sketches for the loon statue. While he knows the bird, loons are not native to Scotland so he did a bit of research and like most Minnesotans, fell in love with the loon.

The statue is part of the United Village development, a 35-acre site on the corner of Snelling Avenue and University Avenue. The project is currently in the early stages; future plans include a new hotel, office building and restaurant pavilion.