Detroit has erected a statue of the iconic movie character, RoboCop, in one of the city’s busiest public markets. The statue brings to fruition a plan that has been in development for at least 15 years. The 3,500-pound bronze statue was installed on Wednesday. Detroit served as the backdrop for the iconic 1987 film that starred the character.
RoboCop statue finally installed for public view in Detroit
After 15 years of planning, Detroit has finally erected a 3,500-pound bronze statue at Eastern Market along Russell Street south of Mack Avenue. The figure stands on top of a 1,500-pound base and measures over 11 feet. The sculpture was built by sculptor George Gikas and his team at Venus Bronze Works.
The idea for the statue initially originated back in 2011, when Detroit filmmaker and designer Brandon Walley and members of the arts nonprofit Imagination Station launched a drive to fund the project. The campaign collected more than $67,000.
The idea of the statue emerged from a fan tweet to then-Mayor Dave Bing, who initially rejected the idea. The tweet read, “Philadelphia has a statue of Rocky & RoboCop would kick Rocky’s butt. He’s a GREAT ambassador for Detroit.” Despite the mayor being unmoved by the idea, it gained traction with Walley’s group.
Gikas finished the statue in 2017, but its fate remained in limbo for the years that followed. Finally, Jim Toscano’s company bought a building in Eastern Market, an open-air produce market, shopping, and entertainment district just northeast of downtown, and this became the home for the RoboCop statue.
“Triumph. Relief. It’s a bit of all of it,” Walley said about the long-awaited statue, “We’re just excited about the future, and what the statue is going to bring to the market and to Detroiters (via Detroit Free Press).
Empire’s 2024 list of The 35 Greatest Sci-Fi Movie Characters placed RoboCop at 20th place.
