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Illinois Giants

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Ramses Statue & Gold Pyramid
Wadsworth, IL
The 64 foot tall Ramses Statue stands in front of the Gold Pyramid. The Pyramid is the six-story tall, 17,000 square foot private home of Jim and Linda Onan. It was the largest 24 karat gold-plated object ever created, before its exterior was stripped. The building contains a replica of King Tut's tomb. There is also a garage with three pyramids and a gift shop. The place opened in 1977. After being closed for many years, the Gold Pyramid reopened in 2011 for tours and conference space. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Onan Roofers
Gurnee, IL
Onan Roofers
Waukegan, IL
Onan Roofers, originally Onan Garages, was founded in 1955. This statue is owned by Jim Onan who also owns the Gold Pyramid above. I assume the statue was modeled after Jim. The statue has a garage tucked under his right arm and holds a hammer in his left hand. It was originally part of a sign with blocks that spelled out O-N-A-N. By 2006 when the top row of photos were taken, the neon had been removed and the letters painted over. Around 2007, the company moved and the statue and sign were removed. The statue was repainted and installed in 2010 at the company's offices in Waukegan.

Gambrinus
Woodridge, IL
This Gambrinus statue once stood at the Milwaukee, WI Pabst brewery. The original wood carved statue was installed there in 1857. This aluminum statue replaced it in 1966. When Pabst moved its headquarters here, the statue came along. He now stands in the employee tasting room at the Pabst Brewing Company's headquarters. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3.

Gambrinus is the legendary inventor of beer, often called the "King of Beers". There are other Gambrinus statues in La Crosse, WI, New Orleans, LA, and Columbus, OH.

Superman
Metropolis, IL		 Superman
Metropolis, IL		 Revolutionary Soldier
St. Charles, IL
Metropolis is the self-proclaimed hometown of Superman. This fifteen foot tall bronze representation of him (left photo) was installed in 1993. He replaced a seven foot tall fiberglass statue from 1986. The second Superman statue shown above is installed at the Super Museum. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3.

The Revolutionary Soldier is 18' tall with a 14' long gun. He was carved from oak trees in the early 1970s as a Bicentennial Memorial. The Soldier sits in front of Custom Furniture. These photos are from 2006. In 2010, the statue was restored and repainted. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.

Abraham Lincoln
previously in Divernon, IL
now in Lincoln, IL
This Abraham Lincoln sits, reading a lawbook, in the World's Largest Covered Wagon (24 feet tall, 40 feet long). It is the work of Dave Bentley. The statue was located in Divernon, IL when the top row of photos were taken in 2005. It was moved to Lincoln, IL in 2007 and restored (bottom row of photos). In 2009, it will be moved to a different location in Lincoln. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, and 5.

Abraham Lincoln
Springfield, IL		 Abraham Lincoln
Charleston, IL		 Abraham Lincoln
Kankakee, IL
This Springfield Abraham Lincoln is 30 feet tall and stands at the Illinois State Fairgrounds. The rarely depicted clean-shaven Abe was constructed here in 1968. His nicknames include the "Rail Splitter" and the "Axe Murderer".

This Charleston Abraham Lincoln, aka "Big Abe", is 72 feet tall. The fiberglass and steel statue was built in 1969 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates, one of which took place in town. The statue was produced in St. Paul, MN and trucked here. Lincoln's slender physique was necessary to meet the oversized load restrictions. This statue was originally located at Lincoln Memorial Park (now gone), southeast of town. It was moved here to the Springhaven Campgrounds in 1979. It had fallen into great disrepair but was restored around 2005. As of 2006, the statue is being incorporated into a complex called "Abe's Garden" with educational and recreational activities. For more, see this website.

The Kankakee Abraham Lincoln is 28 feet tall and stands on a ten foot base. The message on the sign he holds is changed from time to time. The statue is installed at Alexander Construction, facing I-57. He was built by FAST and has been here since at least 2004.

Abraham Lincoln
and Pig
Taylorville, IL		 Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas
Freeport, IL		 Abraham Lincoln
and Stephen Douglas
Ottawa, IL
Abraham Lincoln statues abound in Illinois. These are just a couple bronze versions. The Taylorville Abraham Lincoln shows him with a pig. The statue was installed in 2005 next to the courthouse where Lincoln practiced as a lawyer. Pigs used to root around and squeal under the courthouse. For more, see this website.

The life-sized statues in Freeport commemorate the second debate between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas which took place in 1858. The statues were installed in 1992 close to the actual site where the debate took place. For more, see this website.

The first of the seven Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas debates were held in Ottawa. These larger-than-life, bronze statues are located in a fountain in Washington Square, near the site of this debate. The statues were dedicated in 2002. There are also many painted murals in town commemorating the event. Douglas was five feet four inches tall while Lincoln was six foot three.

More IL Abraham Lincolns:
various cities: 1, 2

Fisherman and Trout
Niles, IL
The Fisherman and Trout have been abandoned for many years. They advertised for the "Fisherman's Dude Ranch" fishing pond that was located here. Summer was not the best time to photograph these guys with the dense vegetation but it was the best I could do for now. I believe the Fisherman held a fishing pole with a line that extended to the lure in the Trout's mouth. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.

Man with Fish
Chicago, IL		 Popeye
Chester, IL		 Rockmen Guardians
Rockford, IL
The Man with Fish statue and fountain stands in front of the Shedd Aquarium. It was created by Stephan Balkenhol in 2001. The painted bronze statue is 12 feet tall.

This six foot tall bronze Popeye statue was installed in Segar Memorial Park in 1977. Chester calls itself the hometown of Popeye since the character's creator was born there. There are other Popeye statues in Arkansas and Texas. For more, see this website.

The Rockmen Guardians were built from 1987-1988 by Terese Agnew. The four statues are about 12 feet tall and made of granite rocks and cement. They are located in a park next to the Rock River.

Pizza Chef
Stockton, IL
Vince's Pizza
Rochelle, IL
The Pizza Chef in Stockton is installed in front of the Bottle Shed Bar & Liquor Store. The Bottle Shed is also a restaurant and sells pizza. This statue came from a pizzeria in Freeport, IL. It was moved here around 1996. In 2005, the statue had red and white striped pants and a white coat. This is the original head style for these pizza chef statues. For more, see this website.

Vince's Pizza opened in 1967. The restaurant purchased its 11-foot tall "Pizza Man" statue around 1971. A traveling salesman stopped by Vince's one day in a Wienermobile. The vehicle contained catalogs and numerous statues. The salesman may have been with Sculptured Advertising from Sparta, WI. Vince Cassola, the owner of Vince's Pizza, didn't care for the design of the chef statue in the catalog. He felt that the face looked more Mexican than Italian. So the fiberglass company produced a new head with a rather frightening face. This modified head also appears on the chef statue at Tony's Pizza in Ocean City, MD. The only other known pizza chef statues of this type, both with original heads, are located in Essex, MD and Hendersonville, NC.

Oz Park
Chicago, IL
Oz Park was created in the mid-1970s. It features statues of the characters from Lyman Frank Baum's book "The Wizard of Oz". The Tin Man statue was the first, installed in 1995. It was created by John Kearney who is famous for his car bumper sculptures. Kearney also produced the bronze Cowardly Lion in 2001, the Scarecrow in 2005, and the Dorothy and Toto in 2007. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

IL
Muffler Men		 Giants
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