Traveling Men at The Depot Hotel - Minneapolis, MN, USA - Figurative Public Sculpture on Waymarking.com

The Depot Renaissance Hotel is located at 225 3rd Ave. South, at the intersection of S. 2nd Street, in Minneapolis, MN. The hotel is a converted train depot built in the hayday of train commerce toward the end of the 1800s. This depot has been converted into the current hotel in the early 2000's. During the renovations, restorations and additions the depot property went through during these years of renewal, one of the additions included for the hotel were the "ghost people" statues. In 2001, these statues were placed around the hotel entrances. A local contest was held for people to submit a story about the statues and the winners of the contest had their story printed next to the particular statue. The statues were created by the artist Gary L. Rittenhouse for the 2001 hotel renovation. The story contest was held separately to promote the hotel and these interesting lifelike creations. You can find what the winning authors said in their contest pieces by reading it on the hotels website. Meanwhile, just outside the main entrance to the hotel stands two white fiberglass figures of men engaged in a buisness transaction. It appears one is a traveling businessman either arriving or leaving the hotel, probably by train, who is opening his wallet to pay a tip the other man dressed in a more casual uniform who is carrying a suitcase. I see the man on business tiping the train porter for carrying his luggage. The casting of the fiberglass is very realistic on both figures. Everything is coated white, like ghosts of bygone times. These are only one pair of many other similarly cast statues inside the hotel. Three more individual statues and a kissing couple are from 50 to 100 feet inside the main lobby. More of these white cast figures are toward the back entrance coming in from the parking area, a sailor, a policeman, a newpaper boy, and a man getting his shoes shined. There are about 9 statues total clustered around the main floor of this hotel. This one outside has no title or story line posted on or next to it. Most of the other statues inside have a plaque with a train-related story about who they are, came from or were impacted by riding the trains that used to use this converted depot.

Reference sources:
(1)http://www.glrittenhouse.com/
(2)http://www.thedepotminneapolis.com/ghost-stories.php
(3)http://www.thedepotminneapolis.com/history.php

Name or use 'Unknown' if not known: Traveling Men Figure Type: Human Artist Name or use 'Unknown' if not known: Gary L. Rittenhouse Date created or placed or use 'Unknown' if not known: July 2001 Materials used: Fiberglass Location: 225 3rd Ave. South, Minneapolis, MN at The Depot Hotel entrance.

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Date Logged Log User Rating   07/07/2011 WayBetterFinder visited it