The quirkiest monument ever erected in Detroit?
Pull up a seat and let us tell you about a giant sandstone 'Chair of Justice' meant to commemorate the city's 200th birthday.
Big birthdays or anniversaries usually merit some sort of equally big gift.
As Detroit neared its milestone bicentennial, city officials planned to erect a 220-foot marble column on Belle Isle with a natural-gas light at the top. It was to be 24 feet wide and be decorated with statues of icons in Detroit history. The price tag? About $1 million.
Some things never change, and public opposition to the frivolous use of tax dollars is one of them, so the City leaders opted to go with a decidedly cheaper option: a large, red sandstone chair.
Behold, dear readers, THE CADILLAC CHAIR. Let me tell you its story and answer the question no doubt on your minds: “How on Earth …”
Yeah, the Joe Louis fist or Soldiers & Sailors Monument, it ain’t. Though it is sorta cute in that kitschy kind of way.
The Cadillac Chair was erected July 24, 1901, on the 200th anniversary of the city's founding by French explorer Antoine …