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 The Spirit of Detroit - Detroit, Michigan Posted by:  Rattrak
N 42° 19.755 W 083° 02.678
17T E 331540 N 4688358
The Spirit of Detroit can be found in front of the Wayne County Building now known as the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center. The statue faces west towards Woodward Avenue.
Waymark Code: WM834W
Location: Michigan, United States
Date Posted: 01/19/2010
Views: 17
The Spirit of Detroit
Is the number one symbol that everyone knows it is Detroit! The statue is directly in front of the "new" Wayne county Building which is now also the City of Detroit building as all of these offices are housed. When the city rallies this is the spot to do so. When the sports teams win championship the city hangs a very large team jersey on the statue.
From the SIRIS site:
Description:
A large seated male figure representing the universal spirit of man holds a sphere with rays in his proper left hand , representing God, and a family group of three figures in his proper right hand, representing all human relationships.
Remarks:
The sculpture was cast in Norway at an estimate cost of $40,000. A nearby marker explains the work's design as stemming from the artist's interpretation of II Corinthians 3:17, which is inscribed on the work. Excerpt from explanatory marker reads: The main figure represents the spirit of man. In his left hand he holds a symbol of God, and in his right hand, a family group: Father, Mother and Child.The artist expresses the concept that God, through the spirit of man, is manifested in the family, The noblest human relationship.
The inscription reads;
(On wall behind figure:) "NOW THE LORD IS THAT SPIRIT AND WHERE THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS, THERE IS LIBERTY." II CORINTHIANS 3:17 unsigned.
TITLE: The Spirit of Detroit
ARTIST(S): Marshall M. Fredericks, 1908-1998, sculptor
DATE: 1955-1958. Dedicated 1958
MEDIUM: Bronze, gilt and marble
CONTROL NUMBER: IAS 87840002
Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link]
PHYSICAL LOCATION:
2 Woodward Avenue
Detroit, Michigan
The corner of M-1/Woodward Avenue and Jefferson Avenue.
DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH:
Condition:
Surveyed 1993. Treatment needed.
Is no longer true, it was just cleaned and treated in 2009, it is in great shape again.
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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.
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