Woodward Avenue (M-1) - Automotive Heritage Trail
Spirit of Detroit Monument, MI

Perhaps the city’s best-known outdoor sculpture, this $40,000 bronze statue was created by Marshall Fredericks, commissioned in 1955, and dedicated in 1958. 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. Fredericks says he never named the Spirit of Detroit, but as his theme he used a verse from the Bible (2 Corinthians 3:17): "Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."

A 36- x 45-foot semicircular Symbol Wall behind the sculpture quotes this scripture and also includes the seals of the city and the county. A plaque in front of the sculpture bears the inscription, "Through the spirit of man is manifested in the family, the noblest human relationship."