Imagine seeing Abraham Lincoln, William Shakespeare and Bob Feller all in one day.
In Cleveland, that’s possible! Well, kind of.
Cleveland is full of historical statues and monuments. From government officials and athletes, to religious and historical activists, stone tributes of legendary figures are scattered throughout Northeast Ohio.
Use this list as your guide to check out some of the most popular statues and monuments our city has to offer.
Interactive Statue Map
Below we present the 25 key statues to visit around Cleveland. Use this interactive map to see where the 25 statues are located across the city. Some are downtown, while others stretch to University Circle and beyond.
Athletes
- Bob Feller — This Major League Baseball hall of famer spent his entire 18-year career with the Cleveland Indians. His statue, located outside Progressive Field’s right field gates, shows Feller winding up to throw a pitch.
- Jesse Owens — Although he was born in Alabama, this four-time gold medalist moved to Cleveland at the age of 8 with his family during the Great Migration. You can find Jesse’s statue in downtown Cleveland in Fort Huntington Park.
- Jim Brown — This hall-of-fame running back spent his entire NFL career playing for the Cleveland Browns, leading the NFL in rushing in eight of his nine seasons. As the most accomplished player in Browns’ history, his statue became the first statue outside of First Energy Stadium.
- Jim Thome — With 612 home runs over a 22-year career, Jim Thome secured his place in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018. You can find Thome pointing his bat outside Progressive Field’s center field fence.
- Johnny Kilbane — In 1912, Johnny Kilbane became the World Featherweight Boxing Champion after outlasting his opponent in a 20-round match in Vernon, CA. Kilbane held the world featherweight title from 1912 to 1923, the longest period in the division's history. His statue currently sits in Cleveland's Battery Park.
- Larry Doby — Just months after Jackie Robinson made his debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Doby became the first African American player in the American League. During his career, Doby was a seven time All-Star and put together five 100 RBI and eight 20 home run seasons. You can find his bronze statue outside Progressive Field, standing alongside Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller and first baseman Jim Thome.
Jim Thome’s statue, located outside Progressive Field’s center field fence.
Religious Figures
- Cardinal Joseph Mindszenty — Mindszenty was an instrumental force in fighting the Hungarian Nazi party. He suffered great torture and humiliation while protecting the Church and the Hungarians. To show their gratitude, the Hungarian community in the Greater Cleveland Area raised money to commemorate the man with a bronze bust located in Cardinal Mindszenty Plaza.
- Moses — Did you know Moses is a representative of moral law? If you visit the Cuyahoga County Courthouse, you can see a full figure statue of Moses holding two tablets with the Ten Commandments.
- Mother Teresa — For over 45 years, Mother Teresa ministered to the poor, sick, orphaned and dying. A seven-foot-tall bronze statue of the Nobel Peace Prize winner was unveiled on September 22, 2012 in the Albanian Cultural Garden in Cleveland.
- Right Rev. Amadeus Rappe — On April 23, 1847, Rappe was appointed the first bishop of the newly created Diocese of Cleveland by Pope Pius IX. You can find him delivering a blessing with his right hand in the courtyard on 1007 Superior Avenue.
Cardinal Joseph Mindszenty's bronze bust located in Cardinal Mindszenty Plaza.
Government Officials
- Abraham Lincoln — Abraham Lincoln only visited Cleveland twice. Once in 1861 when he was on his way from Illinois to his inauguration in Washington D.C. The second visit was after his assassination in 1865, when the slain president’s funeral procession passed through Public Square. Years later, Cleveland schoolchildren donated pennies and nickels to fund his statue that currently sits behind the Board of Education building in Mall A.
- Alexander Hamilton — When George Washington was elected president of the United States, he selected Alexander Hamilton as the first Treasury Secretary. You can find Hamilton sitting across from one of his biggest rivals (mentioned below) at the Cuyahoga County Courthouse.
- George Washington — Before George Washington became the United States’ first president, he was a public land surveyor. You can see him facing the Cuyahoga River in his explorer gear outside the Anthony J. Celebresse Federal Building on the corner of Lakeside Avenue and East 6th Street.
- John T. Corrigan — Corrigan spent more than 50 years of his 91-year life as a soldier, senator and prosecutor. You can find him standing without a pedestal in the northeast corner of Fort Huntington Park.
- Marcus Hanna — Hanna was a United States Senator from Ohio during the turn of the 20th Known as The Kingmaker, Hanna is often credited with the invention of the modern presidential campaign. His statue sits in a small park near University Circle.
- Thomas Jefferson — The third President and the author of the Declaration of Independence sits opposite his rival, Alexander Hamilton, on the steps of the Cuyahoga County Courthouse.
- Tom L. Johnson — Johnson was the mayor of Cleveland from 1901 to 1909. He’s often credited for transforming the city into the industrial giant it was during the early 20th century. Johnson is sitting in the Northwest quadrant of Public Square, holding a copy of Henry George's political philosophy tome "Progress and Poverty."
Abraham Lincoln’s statue behind the Board of Education building in Mall A.
Historical Figures
- Booker T. Washington — Booker Taliaferro Washington was an American author, educator, orator and advisor to presidents of the United States. You can see his stone bust in the African American Cultural Garden.
- Helen Keller — There is a bronze sculpture of Helen Keller kneeling at a water pump in the Betty Ott Talking Garden for the Blind located in the Rockefeller Park Greenhouse. Visitors can actually operate the pump and feel water run over her hand.
- Leif Ericson — The local Scandinavian community donated a bust of this Viking explorer, who was the first European to establish a settlement in North America. The bronze bust sits on a large boulder outside Shooters Restaurant in the Flats.
- Mahatma Gandhi — Gandhi led a non-violent moment to free India from British rule. His 10-foot-tall, one-ton sculpture sits on a seven-foot-high granite base in the Indian Cultural Garden.
- Moses Cleaveland — In July of 1796, Moses Cleaveland (yes, that’s how his last name is spelled) arrived at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River, dubbing the land to the east of it Cleveland. His bronze statue stands tall in the southwest quadrant of Public Square.
- Marie Curie — Madame Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. Her many achievements are recognized by a bust in the Polish Cultural Garden.
- Oliver Hazard Perry — Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, "the Hero of Lake Erie," fended off the British Navy in Lake Erie. The great American Naval commander’s statue stands in the middle of Fort Huntington park, on the West end of downtown.
- William Shakespeare — The statue of one of the world’s most notable writers has sat in the British Cultural Garden for more than 100 years. You can see a bust of his head on a stone pedestal with only one word: "Shakespeare."
Moses Cleaveland’s statue in Public Square.
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