In April, the Detroit Athletic Club unveiled a series of public monuments commemorating the 100 year anniversary of the club’s location on Madison Avenue in downtown Detroit, MI.
The series of four statues were commissioned by the club's foundation and sculpted by A. Thomas Schomberg, known for public sculptures including ROCKY at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Philadelphia, PA.
The four nine-foot-tall statues commemorate the role the club has played in amateur athletics and professional sports since its inception in 1887. Three of the sculptures — The Finish, Running Back, and 6.4.3 — recognize the club’s heritage in track and field, football, and baseball. These statues are located outside the club’s main entrance. The fourth, The Start, celebrates the club’s history in supporting swimming and is located near the Randolph Street entrance.
Says Ted Gillary, the club’s executive manager, of Mr. Schomberg and his works: “He has a great style representing the intensity of sports and athletics…The sculptures will be a very visible and dramatic statement about renewal in Detroit and a landmark moment in the Detroit Athletic Club’s history in the community.”