Monument to Joe Louis - Detroit, Michigan, USA.
N 42° 19.714 W 083° 02.686
17T E 331527 N 4688282
Monument to Joe Louis, Detroit's most loved Sportsman. A gift from Sports Illustrated to the people of Detroit. The Boxers Fist sculpture can be found on the median of Woodward Avenue, near its Southern terminus at Hart Plaza, Downtown Detroit.
Waymark Code: WMM55Q
Location: Michigan, United States
Date Posted: 07/23/2014
Views: 8
As a tribute to Detroit native World heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis, a giant FIST monument was installed in the middle of Woodward Avenue, Hart Plaza, in 1987. Designed by sculptor Robert Graham, the 24-foot long arm-and-fist is suspended above the ground from a bronze pyramid frame.
Dedicated on October 16, 1986, Monument to Joe Louis was commissioned by Time Inc. (Sports Illustrated) for the City of Detroit to honour Joe Louis.
"The monument is a 24-foot long arm and fist held in balanced suspension from a pyramidal support of bronze poles. Weighing approximately 8,000 lb., it rises 24 feet above a major downtown intersection.
The initial arm was modelled in clay at 14 inches in length. With the aid of a computer, a full-scale steel armature, 24 feet in length, was made and wrapped with wire and covered with clay. The final clay model was divided into eight sections and cast in bronze, then assembled. The pyramid structure was fabricated out of steel, and faced with bronze plates. A tribute to Joe Louis is inscribed on the arm. All work on this project was completed at Robert Graham Studio in Venice, California.
Monument to Joe Louis is installed at Jefferson Avenue at Woodward, Detroit, Michigan." Text Source: Website: (
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