

In preparation for rooting for your new hometown team, its. The Guardians of Traffic also embody Cleveland’s transportation history. By Scene Staff on Fri, at 9:00 am The Cleveland Indians today announced theyll officially become the Cleveland Guardians. Considering that Hermes was the god of commerce and land travel, it’s a fitting symbol for the city that had such a strong industrial and transportation influence in the late 1800s and early 1900s. If you have questions about the 2023 Trafficking in Persons Report, please email,. The winged helmets of the guardians take a cue from the Greek god Hermes, as Cleveland Magazine’s Erick Trickey highlights. They also have a hybrid classical and Art Deco style, which contributes to the grandiose aesthetic of the statue. The name itself is a reference to a pair of Art Deco statues located on the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge between downtown Cleveland and the Ohio City neighborhood, known as the Guardians of Traffic. The statue is actually comprised of four sandstone pylons that have two sculptures on each side for a total of eight figures.Įach figure stands 43 feet tall, giving the guardians an otherworldly feel. The bridge has connected Lorain Avenue and Carnegie Avenue, two major routes for Cleveland drivers, for decades now.Īrchitect Frank Walker and sculptor Henry Hering get the credit for constructing the icon, as Bloomberg’s Elizabeth Yuko confirms. Part of the Hope Memorial Bridge, the Guardians of Traffic has been a central part of Cleveland architecture since 1932, when the bridge opened for use. Each Guardian holds a different vehicle in its hands: a hay wagon, a covered wagon, a stagecoach, and a 1930s.

Photo: Erik Drost via CC The history of the guardians They symbolize progress in transportation. One of the guardians overlooking Cleveland traffic
