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Statue of Nathan Hale (Chicago)

1914 sculpturesBronze sculptures in IllinoisMonuments and memorials in ChicagoNathan HaleOutdoor sculptures in Chicago
Sculptures of men in IllinoisStatues in Illinois
Nathan Hale by Bela Lyon Pratt at the Chicago Tribune, Chicago, IL, USA
Nathan Hale by Bela Lyon Pratt at the Chicago Tribune, Chicago, IL, USA

The bronze statue of Nathan Hale that stands in front of the Tribune Tower in Chicago, Illinois, is a replica of the one originally installed at Yale University in 1899. It honors an American hero from the Revolutionary War who was executed for spying on the Kingdom of Great Britain. The original statue was sculpted by Bela Pratt and the replica in Chicago by Guido Gargani. The architect who designed the statue's granite base was Leo Weissenborn. The statue was located in the Nathan Hale Courtyard until the conversion of the Tribune Tower into residential units, when it was moved to face the building along Michigan Avenue. The idea to erect the statue was by Chicago Tribune founder, Robert R. McCormick, a World War I veteran who became a staunch isolationist during the lead up to World War II. He had been a longtime supporter of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program, which prepares students to enter the military. He wanted to install a statue of an American patriot and dedicate it to younger generations, who he hoped would show the same courage. The statue was first displayed at WGN's radio studio during a special event. The dedication and unveiling took place a few months later on June 4, 1940. It was attended by tens of thousands of onlookers and the parade was composed of 10,000 ROTC cadets.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Statue of Nathan Hale (Chicago) (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Statue of Nathan Hale (Chicago)
North Michigan Avenue, Chicago

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Latitude Longitude
N 41.890666666667 ° E -87.623972222222 °
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North Michigan Avenue 435
60611 Chicago
Illinois, United States
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Nathan Hale by Bela Lyon Pratt at the Chicago Tribune, Chicago, IL, USA
Nathan Hale by Bela Lyon Pratt at the Chicago Tribune, Chicago, IL, USA
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Nearby Places

Pioneer Court
Pioneer Court

Pioneer Court is a plaza located near the junction of the Chicago River and Upper Michigan Avenue in Chicago's Magnificent Mile. It is believed to be the site of Jean Baptiste Point du Sable's original residence and trading post. In 1965, the plaza was built on the former site of his homestead as part of the construction of the Equitable Life Assurance Society of America building. The Jean Baptiste Point Du Sable Homesite was designated as a National Historic Landmark on May 11, 1976. John Kinzie, a prominent early settler, bought and expanded Point du Sable's post in 1800. The Plaza is bounded on the north by the Tribune Tower, on the east by 401 N. Michigan Avenue, on the south by the Chicago River, and on the west by Michigan Avenue, adjacent to the DuSable Bridge. In 2017, a newly designed Apple Inc. store was opened on the south side of the court, which created new levels linking down to the river. From 2011–2012 the plaza was the display site for the Seward Johnson statue Forever Marilyn. The statue was later moved to Palm Springs, California. The plaza was used as a location in the film Divergent in 2013. A new temporary statue was installed on November 1, 2016 in Pioneer Court. Also created by Seward Johnson, the statue, titled Return Visit, is 25 feet tall and depicts Abraham Lincoln standing next to a modern common man dressed in beige corduroy pants, sneakers and a cream color cable-knit sweater. The modern man is holding a copy of the Gettysburg Address.

The Shops at North Bridge

The Shops at North Bridge, once known as Westfield North Bridge, is an upscale, urban retail-entertainment district in Chicago, Illinois, located at 520 N. Michigan Avenue. Its anchor store is Nordstrom. Its name alludes first to its location within the nine-block North Bridge complex and to the literal distinction of the shopping center incorporating four-level enclosed bridges over both east Grand Ave, and north Rush Street. When Westfield owned the mall, confusingly, "Westfield North Bridge" typically refers only to the enclosed mall, but Westfield holds a retail management contract for the entire North Bridge complex, which includes another multistory retail complex (two blocks north, at 600 N. Michigan Avenue) built in 1995 and street-level retail spaces throughout the complex. North Bridge also includes five hotels (three Hilton, two Marriott), three parking garages, and two office buildings, housing the American Medical Association and Euro RSCG. Upon opening, it also included a DisneyQuest "urban amusement park," since converted into a furniture store. In 2003, The Westfield Group acquired the shopping center, and renamed it "Westfield Shoppingtown North Bridge," dropping the "Shoppingtown" name in June 2005. However, The Macerich Company acquired the mall in January 2008, therefore returning to the mall's original name, "The Shops at North Bridge." It is Macerich's first mall in Illinois, in an effort to acquire high-end retail malls.