Supriya Ghosh (Editor)

The Spirit of Detroit

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Type
  
Bronze

Location
  
Detroit

Created
  
1958

Year
  
1958

Dimensions
  
790 cm (312 in)

Artist
  
Marshall Fredericks

Phone
  
+1 313-224-3270

The Spirit of Detroit

Address
  
Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48226, USA

Hours
  
Open today · Open 24 hoursSundayOpen 24 hoursMondayOpen 24 hoursTuesdayOpen 24 hoursWednesdayOpen 24 hoursThursdayOpen 24 hoursFridayOpen 24 hoursSaturdayOpen 24 hoursSuggest an edit

Owner
  
Coleman A. Young Municipal Center

Similar
  
Monument to Joe Louis, Philip A Hart Plaza, Renaissance Center, Fisher Building, Guardian Building

The spirit of detroit 1959


The Spirit of Detroit is a city monument with a large bronze statue created by Marshall Fredericks and located at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center on Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, USA.

Contents

It was commissioned in 1955 for a cost of $58,000 (equivalent to $518,542 today), and dedicated in 1958. In its left hand, the large seated figure holds a gilt bronze sphere emanating rays to symbolize God. The people in the figure's right hand are a family group. The 26-foot (7.9 m) sculpture was the largest cast bronze statue since the Renaissance when it was first installed. It was cast in Oslo, Norway.

The statue underwent a restoration in 2006, funded by foundations and other private donations.

In 2013, art dealer and art historian Eric Ian Hornak Spoutz was quoted in the Detroit News stating that the value of the statue is in excess of $1,000,000.

3d scanning the spirit of detroit sme and cam logic


Name

The name emerged from an inscription from 2 Corinthians (3:17) on the wall behind it:

NOW THE LORD IS THAT SPIRIT

AND WHERE THE SPIRIT OF THE
LORD IS, THERE IS LIBERTY."
II CORINTHIANS 3:17

It includes the seals of the city and the county. A plaque in front of the sculpture bears the inscription, "The artist expresses the concept that God, through the spirit of man is manifested in the family, the noblest human relationship."

Uses of The Spirit of Detroit as a community symbol

  • The statue is frequently dressed in sports jerseys when local professional teams are in the playoffs. It was also once dressed in a tuxedo during a visit by the Three Tenors. For the first time since 1997, the statue did not wear a Detroit Red Wings sweater during their Stanley Cup Finals victory in 2008 due to the ongoing restoration. Instead, a large statue of a Tiger at Comerica Park was dressed with a jersey.
  • In the past, a local wit had painted green (the color of the statue) footprints heading out from the statue and leading to Giacomo Manzù's naked Passo di Danza (Step of the Dance) bronze sculpture nearby.
  • As one of Detroit's most easily identifiable landmarks, a sketch of the statue appears as the central element of most of the logos of Detroit's city departments and services.
  • An image of the statue appears on the "Spirit of Detroit Award" certificate. This is issued by the Detroit City Council to a person, event or organization being honored for an outstanding achievement or service to the citizens of Detroit.
  • The Spirit of Detroit is the main image on Detroit Community Scrip.
  • The Spirit of Detroit is featured in the 2011 Chrysler 200 Super Bowl commercial, which featured Eminem along with widely known landmarks of Detroit.
  • The Spirit of Detroit is used as Detroit City Football Club's crest. Detroit City FC is a soccer team formed in 2012 that plays in the National Premier Soccer League.
  • References

    The Spirit of Detroit Wikipedia