The Spirit of Detroit is a bronze sculpture located in downtown Detroit, Michigan.
The sculpture was created by Marshall Fredericks and unveiled in 1958 at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Centre. The nine-tonne sculpture was cast in Norway from a mould created by Fredericks and once installed, upon its 60-tonne marble base, became the largest bronze sculpture since the renaissance.
The sculptures left hand contains a glowing, gold sphere intended to represent God, whilst the right hand contains the figure of a man, women and child, representing human relationships. The marble wall behind the sculpture features the seals of the City of Detroit and Wayne County with the following inscription from 2 Corinthians (3:17) completing the design of the monument:
“NOW THE LORD IS THAT SPIRIT
AND WHERE THE SPIRIT OF THE
LORD IS, THERE IS LIBERTY.”
II CORINTHIANS 3:17
Since the sculpture’s unveiling, it has come to represent the city of Detroit and its people, featuring as part of several municipal and sports logos. Although never officially given a name by its creator, it became known as The Spirit of Detroit by the people of the city.
