First there was Moon Tree, a Loblolly pine sapling growing from a seed that was carried into space on Artemis I. It was planted at the John Scoble Memorial Pavillion on Monte Sano Mountain by the Von Braun Astronomical Society.

Now comes the Moon Gate, a captivating large metal sculpture that motorists and pedestrians have no doubt noticed on the lawn in front of the Huntsville Hospital Plaza Resource Building.

The artwork in the city’s Medical District was commissioned in honor of the late SCI Systems founder Olin B. King by his family. A ceremony was held Thursday afternoon to dedicate the 21-by-25-foot piece, created by Huntsville artist Glenn Dasher, as the newest attraction on Downtown Huntsville’s Public Art Trail.

Sarah Savage-Jones, president of the Huntsville Hospital Foundation, said the piece was done in “memory of a true Huntsville icon and really a visionary. The foundation itself was honored to be a conveyor and a connector for this project. We actually have been working on it for about four years. Even through Covid.’’

The piece is not only an homage to Huntsville’s heritage but a nod to the city’s personality. The columns that form the archway of “the gate’’ were salvaged by Dasher from an old city hangout. He said King’s daughters, Liz Smith and Rosemary Lee, along with Arts Huntsville Executive Director Allison Dillon-Jauken, requested he do the sculpture.

“I was told that they specifically said they wanted me to do it, which was an amazing thing I never expected,’’ Dasher said. “They told me that I could do anything I wanted to do, and they never backed off. I immediately knew what I wanted to do because 20 years before, I had salvaged these two limestone columns when they tore down Parkway City Mall. I’ve been hauling them around and moving around for 20 years. So as soon as they said there’s this opportunity, I thought, I know exactly what I’m gonna do.’’

The original plan was for the piece to be placed outside the hospital’s Orthopedic & Spine Tower. But there wasn’t enough space to accommodate Dasher’s outsized idea, so the artwork found a home across the street from where the original Huntsville Hospital opened in 1895.

At first glance the sculpture is something of an enigma. But with Dasher explaining, his vision comes into focus. The structure creates the look of a celestial sphere with hanging planets and fans that twirl in the wind and bring the artwork to life.

There are “moray patterns,’’ which Dasher said create an optical illusion when walking around the object.

“I’ve tried to capture the spirit of transition and exploration,’’ Dasher said.

The piece will serve as a monument to one of Huntsville’s leading citizens who cast a long shadow on the community.

“Olin B. King – he was actually one of the members of the founding board for Huntsville Hospital Foundation in 1978,’’ Jones said. ‘At that time, his company, SCI, was the largest private employer in Madison County with 6,000 employees.

“It was also the largest company based in Alabama. So there is a lot of history here. This is his story as a very integral part of our community, and again, we’re so grateful to be able to celebrate him.’’