Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac - Detroit, Michigan
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GT.US
N 42° 21.344 W 083° 04.359
17T E 329303 N 4691354
This statue originally decorated the façade of the old City hall and was moved here when the building was demolished.
Waymark Code: WM7ZB7
Location: Michigan, United States
Date Posted: 12/28/2009
Views: 10
The base is inscribed with CADILLAC and J. MELCHERS SCULPT.
The Smithsonian Inventory tells us:
"One of four figures made for niches in the facade of the Detroit City Hall, built in 1871, demolished 1961. Commissioned by Bela Hubbard. Inventory has photographs of the figure alone and in his overall setting alongside the other three Old Detroit City Hall Figures. IAS files contain copies of newspaper articles from Detroit Free Press, Nov. 26, 1974, and Detroit News, June 2, 1983, both of which discuss the relocation of the four figures and biographical information about them."
Wikipedia tells us:
"Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac (/'kæd?læk/) (1658-1730) was a French explorer and adventurer in New France, now an area of North America stretching from Eastern Canada in the north to Louisiana in the south. Rising from a modest beginning in Acadia in 1683 as a turn filibuster, explorer, trapper, and a trader of alcohol and furs, he achieved various positions of political importance in the colony. He was the commander of Fort de Buade, modern day St. Ignace, Michigan, in 1694. In 1701, he founded Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit, the beginnings of modern Detroit, which he commanded until 1710. Between 1710 and 1716 he was the governor of Louisiana, although he did not arrive in that territory until 1713.
La Mothe was a controversial figure in New France. His knowledge of the coasts of New England and of the Great Lakes area was appreciated by Frontenac, governor of New France, and Pontchartrain, Secretary of State for the Navy. This earned him various favors, including the Order of Saint Louis from King Louis XIV. The Jesuits in Quebec, however, criticized his perceived perversion of the "Amerindians", North America's indigenous peoples, with his alcohol and fur trading. La Mothe was imprisoned for a few months in Quebec in 1704, and again in the Bastille on his return to France in 1717.
His visionary spirit continued in the city he helped found, Detroit, which became the world center of automobile production in the 20th century. William H. Murphy and Henry M. Leland, founders of the Cadillac auto company, paid homage to him by adopting his name for their company and his armorial bearings as its emblem in 1902. Various places bear his name in North America, in particular Cadillac Mountain, Maine, and the town of Cadillac, Michigan."
TITLE: Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac
ARTIST(S): Melchers, Julius Theodore
DATE: 1874
MEDIUM: Figure: limestone; Base: concrete.
CONTROL NUMBER: IAS 24140006
Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link]
PHYSICAL LOCATION:
The statues are in front of St. Andrews church which has the address of 5105 Anthony Wayne Dr., Detroit MI 48202
DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH:
The statue is as described.
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Visit Instructions:
Please give the date of your visit, your impressions of the sculpture, and at least ONE ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPH. Add any additional information you may have, particularly any personal observations about the condition of the sculpture.