Ernie Banks statue moved to Daley Plaza

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Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Ernie Banks statue moved to Loop
Mr. Cub's statue is next to the Picasso in Chicago's Daley Plaza.

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Fans of Chicago Cubs legend Ernie Banks can pay tribute to the Hall of Famer at Daley Plaza, where his statue will remain through Saturday.

Banks died Friday after a heart attack. He was 83.

Banks' statue, which was unveiled in 2008, is normally outside Wrigley Field, but crews placed it next to the Picasso in Chicago's Loop for the week.

Paul Wachter stopped by the statue of "Mr. Cub" on Wednesday morning.

"We got a picture of Ernie making this face at my dad. And my dad's smile on his face, looked like he was 11, so I still have that picture," Wachter said.

"He was well-loved by Chicago and I know he would always stop, give his fans autographs," Staci Foster said.

"I love baseball. I work at the Civic Opera building. He came into the building, and I was like, 'Wow, what a phenomenal moment.' So it was like, let me pay my respects and get some memories to show my grandkids," Gloria Hall said.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel visited the statue at Daley Plaza and paid his respects to Banks' wife, Liz.

Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts told ABC7 Eyewitness News that more tributes are planned for the coming season.

"I loved Ernie. Everybody loved Ernie. He was a special guy. We'll definitely make 2015 a season where we can really pay tribute to a great player and great person. You know, we haven't announced exactly what we'll do. But we have a lot of great ideas and we'll really honor his memory," Ricketts said.

Banks has been called a great ambassador to the city, a great player and a wonderful person. He was a life-long Cub, who played for 19 seasons.

A public visitation and memorial will be held Friday and Saturday at Fourth Presbyterian Church.

PHOTOS: Ernie 'Mr. Cub' Banks, 1931-2015