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Illinois Statues (page 3)

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Rockmen Guardians
Rockford, IL
The Rockmen Guardians were built from 1987-1988 by Terese Agnew. The four statues are about 12 feet tall and made of granite rocks and cement. They are located in a park next to the Rock River. [map]

Illinois Fallen Firefighter Memorial
Springfield, IL
 Illinois Fallen Police Officers Memorial
Springfield, IL
The Illinois Fallen Firefighter Memorial was installed in 1999. The bronze sculptures were created by Neil Brodin. [map]

The Illinois Fallen Police Officers Memorial was installed in 1990. The bronze sculptures were created by Keith Knoblock. [map]

Universal Muffler Man
Springfield, IL
This Universal Muffler Man sculpture was created around 2023 for the Illinois Route 66 Experience at the Illinois State Fairgrounds. It was built by the Ace Sign Co. from metal hoops and holds a neon flag. The sculpture is meant to represent the statues that were produced by International Fiberglass and installed on Route 66 and all over the country. Its design was also influenced by the POPS Soda Bottle in Arcadia, OK. [map]

Revolutionary Soldier [gone]
St. Charles, IL
The Revolutionary Soldier is 18 feet tall and holds a 14-foot-long musket. The statue was carved from a fallen oak tree by the store's owner. It was completed in 1976 as a bicentennial memorial. The Soldier was installed in front of Custom Furniture. The photos above are from 2012. In 2014, it was announced that the store was closing. In 2017, the statue and chair were disassembled and moved to Pingree Gove, IL where they were to be restored. In 2020, the chair was restored. The statue is still being worked on. Neither are on display yet. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.

More St. Charles:
Humpty Dumpty

Ironworker
Steeleville, IL

This Ironworker sculpture was installed in front of the United Ironworkers building sometime after 2018. [map]

Pizza Chef
Stockton, IL
Vince's Pizza
Rochelle, IL
The Pizza Chef in Stockton is installed in front of the Bottle Shed Bar & Liquor Store. The Bottle Shed is also a restaurant and sells pizza. This statue came from a pizzeria in Freeport, IL. It was moved here around 1996. In 2005, the statue had red and white striped pants and a white coat. This is the original head style for these pizza chef statues. For more, see this website. [map]

Vince's Pizza opened in 1967. The restaurant purchased its 11-foot-tall "Pizza Man" statue around 1971. According to the owner, a traveling salesman stopped by Vince's one day in a Wienermobile. The vehicle contained catalogs and numerous statues. The salesman may have been with Sculptured Advertising from Sparta, WI. Vince Cassola, the owner of Vince's Pizza, didn't care for the design of the chef statue in the catalog. He felt that the face looked more Mexican than Italian. So, the fiberglass company produced a new head with a rather frightening face. [map]

This modified head also appears on the chef statue at Tony's Pizza in Ocean City, MD. There was also another statue like this at the Goody Goody Diner in St. Louis, MO from 1975-1988. [St. Louis photo thanks Greg Rhomberg]

Other known pizza chef statues of this type with original heads are located in Essex, MD, Hendersonville, NC, Rutherfordton, NC (gone), Hartford, MI, Albert Lea, MN (gone), and Lebanon, TN. There is a somewhat similar Pizza Chef statue in St. Clairsville, OH.

John F. Kennedy
Taylorville, IL
This eight-foot-tall, marble sculpture of John F. Kennedy is installed in Oak Hill Cemetery. Just after his assassination in 1963, the sculpture was commissioned and produced in Italy. . Kennedy was buried in Virginia.

University Park:
Paul Bunyan

Ramses Statue & Gold Pyramid
Wadsworth, IL
The 55-foot-tall Ramses Statue stands in front of the Gold Pyramid. The Pyramid is a six-story tall, 17,000 square foot private home. It was the largest 24 karat gold-plated object ever created, before its exterior was stripped. The building contains a replica of King Tut's tomb. There is also a garage with three pyramids and a gift shop. The place opened in 1977. These photos are from 2006. After being closed for many years, the Gold Pyramid reopened in 2011 for tours and conference space. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. [map]

Onan Roofers
Gurnee, IL (now Waukegan, IL)

2006:
2011:
Onan Roofers, originally Onan Garages, was founded in 1955. This statue is owned by Jim Onan who also owns the Gold Pyramid above. I assume the statue was modeled after Jim. The statue has a garage tucked under his right arm and holds a hammer in his left hand. It was originally part of a sign with blocks that spelled out O-N-A-N. By 2006 when the top row of photos were taken, the neon had been removed and the letters painted over. Around 2007, the company moved and the statue and sign were removed. The statue was repainted and installed in 2010 at the company's offices in Waukegan. [map]

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