Griffin Statue in Town Hall Museum

Hello everyone! I was at Cedar Point a few weekends ago and went into the Town Hall Museum for the first time this year. (I always go there at least once a season to visit the painted ponies.) I was astonished to see the antique J. W. Fiske griffin that disappeared from its former position in front of Iron Dragon, in (I think) 2012. This was my favorite piece of statuary in the park and after six years absent, I had given up on ever seeing it again.

It was good news and bad news. I was happy to see it again but dismayed by the gaudy gold paint job that had been slathered on it, overtop of the nice patina it had in its natural state. I had read a rumor (here, I think) shortly after it vanished that it had been seen in storage in gold paint. This was around the time that GateKeeper was built, so the assumption was that it was being dressed up to serve as a GateKeeper decoration. It makes so much sense, yet it never happened.

So does anyone know the story behind why my beloved griffin was disappeared for six years only to reappear with a new paint job in the Town Hall Museum? It's an enigma to me.

Donald Trump bought it for a new building he was building, so of course it had to be gold, but it entered bankruptcy and was repossessed.

I love going to the Town Hall Museum, some of the associates working there have an amazing knowledge and are so friendly. It’s such a cool spot to catch a break from the general park activities.

^^ Me too. One of my favorite things in there is the really old collection of Cedar Point souvenirs donated by a lady (she's thanked on the display case but I don't remember her name).

The Steel Vengeance model was supposed to be a working model, has anyone seen any test runs or attempts to get it to run?

^ The trains collided

^Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

I tried taking a picture of it running unfortunately Security immediately escorted me out of the museum.

To the OP, I think you basically answered your own question in your post. I heard the same rumors also back then and do think that was the original purpose, to serve as statuary by the new GK. Probably a change of heart when Ouimet took over or maybe just nowhere to place it. I think your answer is already correct.