í 2 ü ?O 0 1 y 'n June 1993 the last great decorative sculpture on the Parthenon- 17frieze blockson its western porch- was removedand transported by rail buggy to the AcropolisMuseumfor conservation.Other parts of thefamousfrieze were destroyed during the 1687 Venetianbombardmentor were dismantledin 1801 by Lord Elgin, who shipped them to England and later sold them to The British January/February 1995 Museum.In 1976 the Acropolis Committeeinstalled a temporary roof that shielded the remaining blocksfrom acid rain , but did not prevent the buildup of soot depositsfrom emissions of auto traffic and local heavy industries. "We took thefrieze down because of the very bad condition of the surface of the marble," says Charalambos Bourns, Chairman of the Acropolis Committee. "We postponed this decision many times, butfinally decided that taking it down was reversible, while leaving it [to corrode] in situ was not" The dismantling required repositioning the 48-ton crane that had been installed in the building's interior. Architect Petros Koufopouloshas proposed that thefrieze be replaced with copies, preferably reliefs madefrom casts attached to marble blocks. 51