Step back in history and take few minutes to watch the story of one of Detroit’s most iconic statues.
The Detroit Historical Society released this short video about the making of the Marshall Fredrick statue.
The Spirit of Detroit has become one of Detroit’s most beloved sculptures over the past fifty-plus years. As the narrator says, “it serves as a reminder that the spirit of Detroit will endure forever.”
In 1955 Fredrick was commissioned by the Detroit/Wayne Joint Building Authority to create the statue.
In the 1959 film you go on a journey to Oslo, Norway where the sculpture was casted. They also show artisans developing the signature green patina.
The journey from Oslo to Detroit via freighter was 4,800 miles. The Sprit of Detroit crossed the Atlantic Ocean, went through the Saint Lawrence Seaway, and finally the Great Lakes before making it to Detroit.
The Spirit of Detroit was dedicated on September 23, 1958.