A man known as “Mr. Midtown” and the unofficial “Mayor of Midtown” was remembered Wednesday night a year after his death at the MARRS building in Midtown, where a sculpture in his honor was erected.

Friends and family of Andy Ekstrom gathered at one of the projects he helped develop – Lounge on 20, on 20th Street between J and K streets – and dedicated the abstract sculpture that artist Marc Foster said he hopes will serve as a touchstone for those who knew Ekstrom.

Alex Sioukas was a friend of Ekstrom’s since middle school, and he said that a few days or weeks after Ekstrom’s death last year, a close-knit group of friends decided they wanted to do something to remember him by.

“We wanted to do something that we hope and feel has a civic impact,” Sioukas said. “We wanted it to be something that people can appreciate.”

The group finally decided on a sculpture, and Foster said he wanted to build a work that symbolized and was worthy of Ekstrom.

“It’s got two steel pieces that come together on a curve that are married together to form a backbone,” Foster said. “That represents Andy. Then there are lots of layers of concrete, and those represent the layers of his life – relationships, family and friends, and community.”

Foster said the 9,000-pound, 10-foot-tall structure took him three weeks to build, and it had a special significance to him.

“He was actually my first client when I came to Sacramento (about four years ago),” Foster said. “I normally design and build custom furniture, and I do sculpture as well.”

Ekstrom had been a graduate school friend of Foster’s wife, and Foster said it meant a lot to him that Ekstrom’s friends would trust him to design and craft something with which to remember Ekstrom.

More than 100 people came to the dedication Wednesday evening, and they ran the gamut of ages and professions.

“Andy got to know so many people,” Sioukas said. “Everywhere he went, he always had a smile on his face, and he was always friendly.”

Ali Mackani, owner of Lounge on 20, recalled Ekstrom as a good friend and a major reason he took on the Lounge on 20 project.

“He followed through and convinced me that it was a good thing to do,” Mackani said.

Another project Ekstrom was involved in was the launching of Metro Edge, the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce’s young professionals group.

“When we started talking about it in January of ’09, he was one of the first ones to help set it up,” said Sean O’Brien, vice chair of Metro Edge.

“He was just an amazing guy who would always bring everyone together,” O’Brien said. “When there were differences, he helped people see the greater good.”

Land use lawyer John Hodgson, who knew Ekstrom, said he thinks the sculpture is a good reminder of Ekstrom and the legacy he left on Midtown.

“He was a magnet for people,” Hodgson said. “Everyone liked him.”

The event Wednesday night was partially to help raise funds for the costs of constructing the sculpture, and organizers were looking to raise about $15,000, according to Foster, augmenting about $6,500 already raised.

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Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.