Nikola Tesla statue

Someone stole the bust of famed 19th century inventor Nikola Tesla from the Serbian Cultural Gardens in the Rockefeller Cultural Gardens recently. The bust, shown here being examined by Boris Tadic, president of the Republic of Serbia in 2009, went missing within the last 10 days. (Thomas Ondrey/The Plain Dealer)

(Thomas Ondrey)

A bust of Nikola Tesla went missing from a monument in the Serbian Cultural Garden in Cleveland's Rockefeller Cultural Gardens in the last 10 days.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A statue of Nikola Tesla's head went missing from the Rockefeller Cultural Gardens.

Alex Machaskee, a former Plain Dealer publisher who is a board member with the Serbian Cultural Garden, said that someone stole the bronze bust of the famed 19th Century Serbian-American inventor from the Serbian Cultural Garden within the last 10-14 days. The Serbian Cultural Garden is located along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Machaskee's son first noticed the missing sculpture Monday afternoon when he showed up to do some maintenance work. Machaskee has notified Serbian church groups.

Machaskee called the crime disappointing, especially in the wake of acts of vandalism against several other gardens in what he called one of the most unique gardens in the world.

"Anything that hurts one garden hurts all the gardens," Machaskee said.

Tesla is known for inventing the Tesla coil and sparring with Thomas Edison over direct and alternating currents.

His fame led organizers to choose his bust as the maiden statue in the Serbia Cultural Garden when it opened in 2009. Other historical Serbs memorialized in the garden include fellow scientist and inventor Michael Pupin, who laid the groundwork for NASA, and King Peter I.

Earlier this month, Machaskee said storms fell a tree that nearly destroyed the statue that would cost $4,000 to replace. A fork in the branches straddled Tesla's bust, wiping out a nearby bench.

"We thought we were lucky," Machaskee said. "Then someone steals it."

Machaskee said anyone who knows about the bust can contact police or call his office at 216-986-1910.

This post was updated with information from Alex Machaskee.