Michigan Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument

Last updated

Michigan Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument
Michigan Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument 2.jpg
The monument in 2022
Location Campus Martius Park
Detroit, Michigan
Coordinates 42°19′54″N83°2′48″W / 42.33167°N 83.04667°W / 42.33167; -83.04667
Built1867
Architect Randolph Rogers
Alexander Chapoton
Architectural styleClassical Revival
NRHP reference No. 84001862 [1]
Added to NRHPMay 31, 1984

The Michigan Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument is a Civil War monument located in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. This example of civic sculpture stands in a prominent location on the southeast tip of Campus Martius Park, where five principal thoroughfares—Michigan Avenue, Monroe Street, Cadillac Square, Fort Street, and Woodward Avenue—convene on the reconstructed traffic circle in front of One Campus Martius Building. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. [1]

Contents

History

Michigan Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument with the old Detroit City Hall in the background Michigan Soldiers and Sailors Monument.jpg
Michigan Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument with the old Detroit City Hall in the background

In 1865, the Michigan Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument Association was established by Governor Austin Blair in order to collect funds for a monument commemorating Michigan's sailors and soldiers killed during the Civil War. Voluntary subscriptions from citizens were collected and sculptor Randolph Rogers, who had created similar Civil War commemorative monuments in Ohio and Rhode Island, was chosen as the artist for the monument. The state's foremost Civil War monument was unveiled on April 9, 1872. [2] Attending the dedication were Generals George Armstrong Custer, Philip H. Sheridan and Ambrose E. Burnside.

In 2005 a re-dedication ceremony was held following the completion of the new Campus Martius plaza in downtown Detroit. The time capsule contained in the monument was opened, and the list of Michigan War Dead was updated to reflect all those killed from the Civil War up to April 2005 in Iraq and Afghanistan. Civil War re-enactors, descendant organizations of the Grand Army of the Republic, representatives from the Detroit City Council, the Michigan National Guard, and the Second Baptist Church men's choir participated in the ceremony.

The Michigan Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument is situated within the traffic circle of the intersection of Woodward Avenue, Michigan Avenue, Monroe Street, Fort Street, and Cadillac Square. The property is open to the public. The monument was repositioned on Campus Martius Park traffic circle for the restoration of the park.

Description

One Kennedy Square (left) and 1001 Woodward (right) behind the Michigan Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument MichiganSoldiersSailors.jpg
One Kennedy Square (left) and 1001 Woodward (right) behind the Michigan Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument

Rogers' design consists of a series of octagonal sections that rise up from the base of the monument. [3] The lowest sections are topped by eagles with raised wings that guide the eye upward to the next section which is surmounted by four male figures depicting the Navy, Infantry, Cavalry, and Artillery branches of the United States Army. Four female allegorical figures, resting on pedestals, are above the male statues and represent Victory, History, Emancipation, and Union were not added to the monument until 1881. Local lore claims Rogers used Sojourner Truth, the famous African-American abolitionist, as his inspiration for the Emancipation statue, but little evidence exists to document this belief. There are also four plaques containing bas-reliefs of the Union leaders Lincoln, Grant, Sherman, and Farragut. Capping the monument, the heroic "Amazon figure" [4] Michigania, or Victory, brandishes a sword in her right hand and in her other she raises a shield, prepared for attack.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campus Martius Park</span> Park in Detroit, Michigan, United States

Campus Martius Park is a re-established park in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. After the Great Fire of 1805, Campus Martius was the focal point of Judge Augustus Woodward's plans to rebuild the city. It was named for the principal square in Marietta, Ohio, the first capital of the Northwest Territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Detroit Opera House</span> Historic theater in Detroit, Michigan, US

The Detroit Opera House is an ornate opera house located at 1526 Broadway Street in Downtown Detroit, Michigan, within the Grand Circus Park Historic District. The 2,700-seat venue is the home of productions of the Detroit Opera and a variety of other events. The theatre was originally designed by C. Howard Crane, who created other prominent theatres in Detroit including The Fillmore Detroit, the Fox Theater and the Detroit Symphony's Orchestra Hall. It opened on January 22, 1922.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Circus Park Historic District</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

The Grand Circus Park Historic District contains the 5-acre (2.0 ha) Grand Circus Park in Downtown Detroit, Michigan that connects the theatre district with its financial district. It is bisected by Woodward Avenue, four blocks north of Campus Martius Park, and is roughly bounded by Clifford, John R. and Adams Streets. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The building at 25 West Elizabeth Street was added to the district in 2000, and additional structures located within the district, but built between 1932 and 1960, were approved for inclusion in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randolph Rogers</span> American sculptor

Randolph Rogers was an American Neoclassical sculptor. An expatriate who lived most of his life in Italy, his works ranged from popular subjects to major commissions, including the Columbus Doors at the U.S. Capitol and American Civil War monuments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First National Building</span> A skyscraper and class-A office center in downtown Detroit

The First National Building is a skyscraper and class-A office center in Downtown Detroit, Michigan, within the Detroit Financial District. The building is located across the streets from Cadillac Tower and One Detroit Center, and stands next to the Vinton Building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1001 Woodward</span> Skyscraper in Detroit, Michigan, United States

1001 Woodward is a 25-floor office building in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. It replaced the Majestic Building, a 14-story high rise on the same site. The building is located just south of the neighboring David Stott Building, at the corner of Woodward Avenue and Michigan Avenue overlooking Campus Martius Park. Constructed from 1963 to 1965, the building is designed in the International Style. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Qube (Detroit)</span> Financial center in Michigan, US

The Qube, also known as Chase Tower, is a 14-story high-rise office building in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It is located on Campus Martius at the northeast corner of the Detroit Financial District. Designed by Albert Kahn Associates in the modern architectural style, it includes a great deal of marble, similar to other buildings in the nearby Civic Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One Kennedy Square</span> Office in Detroit, Michigan

One Kennedy Square is a 10-story building located at 777 Woodward Avenue in Downtown Detroit, Michigan, near Campus Martius Park. The building is bordered by Griswold Street, Michigan Avenue and Woodward Avenue, and stands on the site of the old Detroit City Hall. It is occupied by the Ernst & Young accounting firm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One Campus Martius</span> Building in downtown Detroit, Michigan, United States

One Campus Martius is a building located in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It began construction in 2000 and was finished in 2003. It has seventeen floors in total, fifteen above-ground, and two below-ground, and has 1,088,000 square feet (100,000 m2) of office space. The high-rise was built as an office building with a restaurant, retail units, space for Compuware and a fitness center, as well as an atrium. The building now has Rocket Mortgage, Microsoft, Meridian Health, Plante Moran and Compuware as its major tenants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of metropolitan Detroit</span>

The architecture of metropolitan Detroit continues to attract the attention of architects and preservationists alike. With one of the world's recognizable skylines, Detroit's waterfront panorama shows a variety of architectural styles. The post-modern neogothic spires of One Detroit Center refer to designs of the city's historic Art Deco skyscrapers. Together with the Renaissance Center, they form the city's distinctive skyline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wright–Kay Building</span> Building

The Wright–Kay Building, originally known as the Schwankovsky Temple of Music, is one of the oldest buildings in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It is located at 1500 Woodward Avenue, at the corner of Woodward and John R. Street, in proximity to the Lower Woodward Avenue Historic District. The building was listed on the State of Michigan's Historical Register in 1980 as #P25241.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cadillac Centre</span> Proposed complex in downtown Detroit, Michigan

Cadillac Centre was a proposed contemporary complex to be constructed in downtown Detroit, Michigan on the Monroe block of Campus Martius. In January 2008, the city announced that the complex was approved for construction with groundbreaking planned for September 2009, but the project was placed on hold indefinitely due to an economic recession. Expected to cost $150-million, the mixed-use development called for two 24-story towers to rise from a 12-story base which would connect to the 40-story Cadillac Tower. The upscale residential high-rise was slated to include a retail and entertainment complex. The architect was Anthony Caradonna, an associate professor with Pratt Institute School of Architecture in New York City and a principal with the AC/2 Studio firm, whose recent projects have included the Hotel Duomo in Molfetta, Italy and the Bar Solex in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bagley Memorial Fountain</span> United States historic place

The Bagley Memorial Fountain is a historic fountain in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. It has recently been moved from its long-time location in Campus Martius Park to a new location just down the street in Cadillac Square Park. The fountain was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1971. The John N. Bagley House (1889) at 2921 East Jefferson Avenue in Detroit was constructed for Governor Bagley's son, and is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monroe Avenue Commercial Buildings</span> Historic commercial buildings in Michigan, United States

The Monroe Avenue Commercial Buildings, also known as the Monroe Block, is a historic district located along a block-and-a-half stretch at 16-118 Monroe Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, just off Woodward Avenue at the northern end of Campus Martius. The district was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1974 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. The thirteen original buildings were built between 1852 and 1911 and ranged from two to five stories in height. The National Theatre, built in 1911, was the oldest surviving theatre in Detroit, a part of the city's original theatre district of the late 19th century, and the sole surviving structure from the original Monroe Avenue Commercial Buildings historic period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cadillac Center station</span> Detroit People Mover station

Cadillac Center station is a Detroit People Mover station in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It is located at the intersection of Gratiot Avenue and Library Street, beneath the One Campus Martius parking garage. It is named for the Cadillac Center, a shopping center proposed for construction nearby in the 1980s, but never built.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip A. Hart Plaza</span> City plaza in Detroit

Philip A. Hart Plaza, in downtown Detroit, is a city plaza along the Detroit River. It is located more or less on the site at which Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac landed in 1701 when he founded Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit, the settlement that became Detroit. In 2011, the Detroit-Wayne County Port Authority opened its new cruise ship passenger terminal and dock at Hart Plaza, adjacent to the Renaissance Center, which receives major cruise ships such as the MS Hamburg and the Yorktown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln Monument (Philadelphia)</span> Statue in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Lincoln Monument (Philadelphia) is a monument honoring Abraham Lincoln in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of the first initiated in memory of the assassinated president, the monument was designed by neoclassical sculptor Randolph Rogers and completed in 1871. It is now located northeast of the intersection of Kelly Drive and Sedgley Drive, opposite Boathouse Row.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. Lees, James A. (September - October 1999). Michigan Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument [ permanent dead link ]Michigan History Magazine
  3. Zacharias, Pat (September 5, 1999). Monuments of Detroit Michigan History, Detroit News. Retrieved on November 21, 2007.
  4. Rogers, Millard F. Jr., Randolph Rogers: American Sculptor in Rome, University of Massachusetts Press 1971 p. 112.

Further reading