Gargoyles to find home at Bradley University

PEORIA - Bradley University will soon be home to four new gargoyles.

The Peoria school plans to install the carved gargoyle statues atop its Hayden-Clark Alumni Center on Thursday. The gargoyles weigh about 3,000 pounds each and were carved from 5 foot by 3 foot large slabs of limestone.

Carvers in Bloomington, Ind., took about two months to carve the gargoyles, which are said to ward off harmful spirits.

Construction of the alumni center got under way in 2009. It is one of six building projects included in Bradley's $50 million Renaissance Campaign and is expected to be completed this summer.

Officials say two of the gargoyles will match those on nearby Bradley Hall.