Spirit of Detroit

The Paczki Principle

A fresh linen/clean cotton scent
A wam, fuzzy home scent

It seems appropriate that the giant Spirit of Detroit statue was not formally named by the artist, but rather by the public. Sculptor Marshall Fredericks used a verse from the bible for inspiration and it appears on the wall behind the statue:

Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

The theme is also evident at the front of the sculpture where it appears on a plaque with this inscription:

Through the spirit of man is manifested in the family, the noblest human relationship.

As a result, Detroiters began referring to the giant green icon as The Spirit of Detroit.

One spring, this spirited 26-foot-tall bronze man's thoughts seemed to turn to fancy. Giant green footprints appeared on the sidewalk and street suggesting a late night tryst with the statue of a nude lady washing her hair in a pool in front of the former MichCon building across the street.

Living up to his name, the Spirit has often reflected Detroiters' own spirits by donning Red Wings or Pistons jerseys after championship runs. The Spirit also mourned with us as he soberly posed behind an American flag after 9/11.

Indeed, Detroit's passionate spirit swings both ways. A gentleman from Atlanta once told a native Detroiter, "Y'all have the worst inferiority complex." Some might prefer to call it humility. Detroiters can be their own worst critics, but this is the city that put the world on wheels and created the Motown sound. Detroiters may have a tough shell, but they can also be like a Sanders cream puff on the inside.

Reflecting the generous spirit that is a character trait prevalent throughout our community, Fredericks waived his creative fee for Spirit, absorbing some of the costs himself. He considered the job as part of his civic responsibility. The Spirit of Detroit on Woodward was installed in 1958. The Detroit spirit arrived a good bit earlier.

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Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum