The Michigan Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument is a monument located in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. Like other Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monuments, it commemorates the troops who served in the Civil War but has been able to do so in various eras and for countless audiences.
Originally unveiled on April 9, 1872 in front of City Hall, the monument consists of a series of octagonal sections that rise up from the base of the monument. The lowest sections are topped by eagles with raised wings that guide the eye upward to the next section which is surmounted by four male figures depicting the Navy, Infantry, Cavalry, and Artillery branches of the U.S. Army. Four female figures, resting on pedestals, are above the male statues and represent Victory, History, Emancipation, and Union.
At the top of the monument is a 3,800-pound personification of a victorious Michigan as an Indian queen in a winged helmet, wielding a sword in her right hand and a shield in her left. The statue depicts Michigan as being strong, proud and brave. This representation of Michigan is similar to one that can be seen in the Russell A. Alger Memorial Fountain in Grand Circus Park.
In January 1986, the bronze and granite monument went through a needed restoration. In 2003, it was relocated to a more prominent location in Campus Martius Park. The monument now sits atop a 4’-6 ‘tall granite base with a built-in seat ledge. The new base features four water tables at the compass points over which a thin sheet of water continuously flows.
Today, it is located within the traffic circle of the intersection of Woodward Avenue, Michigan Avenue, Monroe Street, Fort Street, and Cadillac Square. It was rededicated in 2005 after the new Campus Martius was completed in a ceremony featuring Civil War re-enactors and members of the Grand Army of the Republic.
This rededication and relocation has allowed the Michigan Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument to serve as a top attraction in Campus Martius Park to help redefine the space and become a top draw for the city. It has become one of Detroit’s signature public spaces with events and activities that pull in audiences from across the city and region.
By restoring and relocating the landmark, the Michigan Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument has come to showcase what kind of positive influence a monument can enable for a space. It fulfills on the great potential that could have otherwise been misplaced as it has been in other landmarks.
