Part 2 of a Series
Some of the most delicious treats I
tasted in Detroit, Michigan were served up to me wherever I turned in Motor
City. And, like all candies, they came in a variety of flavors and
colors. However, there were no calories in these candies. I call
those treats my eye candy.
Hart Plaza, a 14-acre riverfront
destination designed by Isamu Noguchi in 1978, is a virtual sculpture
park. This popular venue, that hosts up to 40,000 people for summer festivals, concerts and special events, was named
for the late U.S. Senator Philip Hart.
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HART PLAZA...THE HEART OF DETROIT’S RIVERFRONT |
Please allow me to offer you a bite out
of my favorite eye candies that abide at Hart Plaza and elsewhere in the
Comeback City. Enjoy!
THE FIST,
dedicated on October 16, 1986 at Detroit's Hart Plaza, is a tribute to heavyweight champion Joe
Louis, a Detroit native. It is said to represent the power of the punch,
both inside and outside the ring, of the man also known as “The Brown
Bomber”. The cost to produce this “Monument to Joe Louis” in 1986 was
$350,000. In 2013, art dealer and art
historian Eric Ian Hornak Spoutz stated that the value of the sculpture was
between $1,000,000 and $2,000,000.
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| THE FIST: A TRIBUTE TO HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION JOE LOUIS |
TRANSCENDING,
a Michigan Labor Legacy Landmark dedicated on August 30,
2003 at Hart Plaza, consists of two 59-foot
high stainless steel arcs that weigh 30 tons, stretch 63-feet skyward, and do not join together at the top. The arcs, thought to symbolize the unfinished
mission of the American Labor Movement, showcase
scenes from Detroit's labor history. Fourteen split Vermont granite
boulders encircling the arcs, symbolize the sacrifices and achievements
of American workers.
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| TRANSCENDING’S OPEN ARCS SYMBOLIZE THE LABOR MOVEMENT’S UNFINISHED MISSION |
THE HORACE E. DODGE AND
SON MEMORIAL FOUNTAIN is located at the center of Hart Plaza. Designed by Isamu
Noguchi, this stainless steel fountain consists of a large steel ring raised about thirty
feet above the ground and supported by two legs. It towers over a sunken
circular, black granite pool. The fountain contains 300 jets and 300
lights that play upon the flowing waters. Together they create a plethora
of configurations.
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| HORACE E. DODGE AND SON MEMORIAL FOUNTAIN |
PYLON, also designed by Isamu Noguchi, is a stainless steel spire
positioned near the entrance to Hart Plaza. Although
some people view this 120-foot sculpture as an obelisk, and others see it as a
silver spike,
Pylon is architecturally described as a double helix that appears to make a
quarter turn between the bottom and the top. When it was
constructed in 1974, Mayor Coleman Young proclaimed it was: "A centerpiece for
the renaissance going on all around us.”
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| ISAMU NOGUCHI’S STAINLESS STEEL PYLON |
THE
SPIRIT OF DETROIT, located at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, is a city
monument that includes the seals of the city and the county. This large
bronze statue holds a gilded family group in its right hand. A gilded
sphere, emanating rays said to symbolize God, is clutched in its left hand. At times, the statue becomes a
fashionista. When the Three Tenors visited the city, the statue wore a
tuxedo. When local professional sport teams reach the playoffs, the
statue often wears the team’s jersey.
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| THE SPIRIT OF DETROIT INCLUDES SEALS OF THE CITY AND THE COUNTY |
MILLENNIUM BELL, located in the Grand Circus Park, was commissioned by the
City of Detroit to ring in the new millennium of
2000. A 10-ton, stainless steel bell hangs from a crossbar between
two 26-foot tall arches. Unveiled on
December 31, 1999, the bell is rung once a year at midnight between December 31
and January 1. Detroiters hold hopes of hearing the bell rIng
someday when the Detroit Lions are victorious in the Super Bowl.
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| STAINLESS STEEL MILLENNIUM BELL IN GRAND CIRCUS PARK |
THE THINKER, a
2000-pound
bronze sculpture by French artist Auguste Rodin
sits atop a 12,000-pound granite base in front of the Detroit Institute of Art (DIA) in Detroit’s Cultural Center. The original was cast in 1904 and was
installed in Paris. It
is believed that, around that time, approximately 20 copies were made of
Rodin’s original composition. Whether you have an hour or a day, you must not
miss the DIA.
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THE THINKER AT THE ENTRY TO THE DETROIT ART INSTITUTE |
MICHIGAN SOLDIERS AND SAILORS MONUMENT,
one of Detroit’s oldest pieces of public art, is located at Campus Martius Park
in downtown Detroit. Built in 1887, the Civil
War monument was designed to honor the 90,000
Michigan troops who fought for the Union and the 14,823 who did not return home
from battle. In 2005, the monument’s
time capsule was opened and updated to include all Michiganders killed from the
Civil War up to April 2005 in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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| MICHIGAN SOLDIERS AND SAILORS MONUMENT |
TIGER SCULPTURES abound at Comerica
Park, the Detroit Tigers Stadium that opened in the year 2000. In front of the main entrance, a fifteen-foot
tiger statue greets fans as they arrive at the ballpark. Eight other huge
tigers stand guard at the entry, inside the park, and on top of the left field
scoreboard. The eyes of the two prowling tigers atop the scoreboard light
up when the team scores a home run or wins the game. Thirty-three tiger heads,
with lighted baseballs in their mouths, are stationed along the red brick walls
outside the ballpark.
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| TIGER SCULPTURES ABOUND AT COMERICA PARK |
As
a Detroit Tiger would growl...you’ll have a grrrrrrr-eat time in Detroit.
JANET STEINBERG is an
award-winning Travel Writer/Editor and International Travel Consultant with THE
TRAVEL AUTHORITY in Mariemont, Ohio
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