City-County Building; Sculpture. “The Spirit of Detroit;. City County Bldg.

View Item Record

Description:

View of the Spirit of Detroit sculpture by Marshall Fredericks in front of the City County Building in Detroit, Michigan. "The $40,000 bronze statue created by Marshall Fredericks, which some Detroiters call the Jolly Green Giant because of its green patina, was commissioned in 1955, and dedicated in 1958, and is perhaps the city's best known outdoor sculpture, the huge seated figure holds in his left hand a gilt bronze sphere emanating rays to symbolize God, and in his right hand, a family group symbolic of all human relationships, a plaque in front of the sculpture bears the inscription, "Through the spirit of man is manifested in the family, the noblest human relationship," serving as backup to the work is a 36- x 45-foot semicircular Symbol Wall bearing reliefs of the seals of the city and the county with the message, "Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty," from Detroit News article.

Notes:

Collection located at the Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan. To schedule an appointment to view the original image, order high resolution copies, or seek permission to use an image, contact the Walter P. Reuther Library Audiovisual Department at reutherreference@wayne.edu., Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, Wayne State University, and This metadata was created by Wayne State University Library system based on original description by the Walter P. Reuther Library

Date Issued:

1958-09-23T00:00:00Z

Data Provider:

Wayne State University. Libraries and Walter P. Reuther Library

Collection:

Virtual Motor City

Place:

Michigan, Detroit, Michigan, and Detroit

Subject Topic:

Public sculpture and Municipal buildings

Subject Name:

Fredericks, Marshall M. and 1908-1998

Format:

photographs

Rights:

Copyright Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, Wayne State University

URL:

http://digital.library.wayne.edu/item/wayne:vmc77330_6