The Five Points Monument is a large public
monument
A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...
in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
,
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
Georgia may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. Located in the
Five Points district, the monument was designed by George Beasley and installed in 1996.
History
The monument was created during the leadup to the
Centennial Olympic Games
The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
, hosted by
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
in 1996.
George Beasley, who served as the coordinator for the sculpture program at
Georgia State University
Georgia State University (Georgia State, State, or GSU) is a Public university, public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1913, it is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities. It is al ...
,
designed the monument, which is made primarily of
bronze
Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...
and
steel
Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...
.
The monument was created at the studio at Georgia State and then moved to its current location via two
flatbed trucks. According to Beasley, the monument experienced a rushed production in order to be in place in time for the
1996 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, with the monument installed one week before the event. The monument lies on a
pedestrian island at the intersection of five streets, which gives the district of
Five Points its name. These streets are Decatur, Edgewood,
Marietta,
Peachtree, and Whitehall Streets.
The site once was home to a
water tower
A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system, distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towe ...
,
with Beasley saying that the sculpture is intended to represent that water tower "deconstructed and rearranged."
Panels attached to the sculpture describe the history of the site,
which is located adjacent to another sculpture, ''
Atlanta from the Ashes (The Phoenix)'', located in nearby
Woodruff Park
Woodruff Park, named for Robert W. Woodruff, is located in the heart of Downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The park's are north of Edgewood Ave, between Peachtree Street NE and Park Place NE. The park includes a fountain, a performance pavilion, ...
.
See also
*
1996 in art
Events from the year 1996 in art.
Events
*8 January – Shortly after publication of the Italian edition of his book ''The Art Forger's Handbook'', English-born art forger Eric Hebborn is found lying in a street in Rome, his skull crushed wi ...
References
External links
*
*
{{coord, 33.75446, -84.38983, format=dms, type:landmark_region:US-GA, display=title
1996 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
1996 sculptures
Monuments and memorials in Georgia (U.S. state)
Sculptures in Atlanta