Statue of Stevens T. Mason
The Statue of Stevens T. Mason, also known as Stevens T. Mason Monument, is a monumental sculpture on Washington Boulevard in Detroit, Michigan. It was designed by sculptor Albert Weinert and architect H. Van Buren Magonigle in honor of Stevens T. Mason, who served as Michigan’s first governor and is noted as the youngest person to serve as governor of a U.S. state. Mason’s remains are buried beneath the monument, which stands in Capitol Park, the site of the former state capitol building. The monument was dedicated on Memorial Day in 1908.
1908 © Albert Weinert and H. Van Buren Magonigle · Public domain
January 2011 © Goldnpuppy · CC BY-SA 3.0
1916 © Uncertain, assumed to be authors of the book in which the picture is found (Helen E. Keep and M. Agnes Burton) · Public domain
Identification | |
| Title | Statue of Stevens T. Mason |
| Alternative name | Stevens T. Mason Monument |
| Type | monumental statue |
Historical context | |
| Dedicated on | May 30, 1908 (Memorial Day) |
| Commissioned in | 1907 |
| Commissioning legislation | Michigan Legislature joint resolutions passed in 1907 |
| Funding | $10,000 allocated by the Michigan Legislature |
| Completion time | About one year |
Creator | |
| Foundry | Roman Bronze Works |
| Architect | H. Van Buren Magonigle of New York City |
| Designer | Albert Weinert of New York City |
Discovery and provenance | |
| Commission members | Lawton T. Hemans, Arthur L. Holmes, and Daniel McCoy |
| Competition | A contest was held to solicit design proposals; Albert Weinert's design was selected |
| Material source | Condemned cannons granted by the U.S. Congress to the government of Michigan in 1906, originally from Fort Michilimackinac in Michigan and procured by Russell A. Alger |
| Original intended site | At Mason's burial site in Capitol Park |
| Reburial | Mason's remains were transferred to Detroit in 1905 and buried in Capitol Park |
| Burial relation | Mason's remains were believed to be directly beneath the monument, but during 2010 relocation work were found a short distance away |
| Survey | Inspected in 1993 as part of the Save Outdoor Sculpture! project |
Physical characteristics | |
| Foundry mark | Roman Bronze Works, N.Y. |
| Inscriptions | Front pedestal inscription: "STEVENS T. MASON/FIRST/GOVERNOR/OF MICHIGAN"; back pedestal inscription: "THE TRIBUTE OF/MICHIGAN/TO THE MEMORY OF HER/FIRST GOVERNOR/WHOSE ASHES LIE BENEATH/CALLED TO THE DUTIES OF/MANHOOD WHILE YET A BOY/HE SO ACQUITTED HIMSELF/AS TO STAMP HIS NAME/INDELIBLY ON THE HISTORY/OF THE/COMMONWEALTH" |
| Clothing | 1830s clothing |
| Base shape | Square |
| Pose | Standing, with his right hand holding a book and his left hand on his hip |
| Figure depicted | Stevens T. Mason, first governor of Michigan |
Materials | |
| Statue material | Bronze |
| Pedestal material | Barre granite |
| Material source | The statue was cast from bronze from condemned cannons |
Location and ownership | |
| Current setting | The surrounding platform, exedra, finials, and lamps were later removed, leaving the pedestal and statue |
| Original setting | Placed on a semicircular platform surrounded by an exedra, with marble finials on either side topped by bronze lamps |
| Burial | Mason's remains are interred beneath the monument |
| Site significance | Located at the site of the former state capitol building |
| Location | Capitol Park, Detroit, Michigan, United States |
History and restoration | |
| Temporary removal | The statue was temporarily removed for restoration during the 2010 Capitol Park renovation |
| Reinterment date | October 2010 |
| Historical marker | A Michigan Historical Commission marker was dedicated near the monument on October 27, 2011, Mason's 200th birthday |
| 2017 redevelopment plan | In September 2017, plans were announced to remove the pedestal and place the statue at ground level |
Significance | |
| Purpose | Created in honor of Stevens T. Mason |
| Subject's office | First governor of Michigan |
| Subject's distinction | Youngest person ever to serve as governor of a U.S. state |
| Review | A 1908 review in The Monumental News described the statue as an elegant, well-modeled portrait of the governor as he appeared in his youth |