The maple leaf is widely recognized as the national symbol of Canada with multiple species of the tree being native to the nation. However, the best known of these plants is the sugar maple that is prevalent across eastern Canada and the northeastern United States. This prominence is especially evident in Vermont, where the maple […]
Serving as the unofficial mascot of Pike Place Market, Rachel the Piggybank illustrates what it can mean when a monument becomes an icon that cultivates interest and engagement from all types of audiences. Doing so has allowed a pig to become an attraction for a market that is best known for fish while also collecting […]
Located in Biloxi, Mississippi, the Bilox Lighthouse has come to define the city in multiple ways over the decades. Surviving multiple wars and natural disasters, the monument has become a signature icon of Biloxi as well as a symbol of the city’s resolve and resilience, highlighting what it can mean for a monument to both […]
Icons can often become synonymous with a city, while others provide communities with powerful symbols that can be utilized for various purposes. In becoming an icon of Memphis, Tennessee, Elvis Presley has become all of these things and more, but he’s been able to do so without being defined by any single symbol or image. […]
The “Fountain of Eternal Life” is a dichotomy of symbols and subjects that resides in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. The monument and public space simultaneously celebrates the potential of humanity to achieve everlasting peace while also honoring Cleveland veterans who have fought and died in various wars. That it does so in such different but meaningful […]
The largest cast iron statue in the world, the Vulcan statue is the main feature of Vulcan Park and Museum in Birmingham, Alabama. This statue of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and metals, has overlooked Alabama’s largest city from atop Red Mountain since the 1930s. The statue wasn’t ever meant to soar above Birmingham […]
Visible from over 60 miles away, the Roanoke Star sits atop of Mill Mountain in Roanoke, Virginia. This visibility during the day or not is part of the reason that the world’s largest freestanding illuminated man-made star has become a means of identity for residents that attract visitors from all over It showcases what it […]