Free Stamp
Encyclopedia
Willard Park is a public park adjacent to city hall in the Downtown
Cleveland, Ohio
. The park, which is situated at the corners of East 9th Street and Lakeside Avenue on the historic Mall C
, is the location of the public sculpture Free Stamp, and was the home of the original Cleveland Fire Fighters Memorial.
and Coosje van Bruggen
, it has been called the "world's largest rubber stamp
". The dimensions of the sculpture are 28 in 10 in (8.79 m) by 26 ft (7.9 m) by 49 ft (14.9 m). The sculpture depicts a rubber stamp with the word "FREE" in its stamping area.
The work was commissioned by Standard Oil of Ohio
(Sohio) in 1985 for display at its soon-to-be-constructed headquarters building on Public Square
, which became the BP Tower
. The piece was originally designed to stand upright, with the lettering of the stamp hidden from view on its "stamp pad". According to one of the executives working with Oldenburg, the message on the stamp was intended as a reference to the Civil War-era Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument
, located across the street.
Sohio had previously been acquired by BP
, and BP executive Robert Horton
took over the management of Sohio before the sculpture was installed. He believed that the stamp was "inappropriate" for the location, and that Oldenburg actually intended to mock BP about Sohio's loss of corporate freedom and the lack of freedom in office work. The company gave the artists permission to move the sculpture to another part of the city, but they refused. As a result, the stamp was placed in storage in a facility in Whiting, Indiana
. Over the next several years, BP, the artists, and the city consulted to find a new site for the sculpture. Several sites were proposed, including the Cleveland Museum of Art
. The artists, who wanted the sculpture to remain near Public Square, finally chose Willard Park.
In 1991, BP donated the sculpture to the city of Cleveland. The stamp was modified to sit on its side, and it was dedicated in its new location in November 1991. Oldenburg reportedly said that it looked as if a giant hand had picked up the sculpture from its intended location at the BP Tower
and angrily hurled it several blocks, where it ended up on its side.
Downtown Cleveland
Downtown Cleveland is the central business district of the City of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. Reinvestment in the area in the mid-1990s spurred a rebirth that continues to this day, with over $2 billion in residential and commercial developments slated for the area over the next few years...
Cleveland, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. The park, which is situated at the corners of East 9th Street and Lakeside Avenue on the historic Mall C
The Mall (Cleveland)
The Cleveland Mall is a long public park in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. It was conceived as part of the 1903 Group Plan by Daniel Burnham, John Carrère, and Arnold Brunner as a vast public space flanked by the city's major civic and governmental buildings, all built in the neoclassical style...
, is the location of the public sculpture Free Stamp, and was the home of the original Cleveland Fire Fighters Memorial.
Free Stamp
The Free Stamp is an outdoor sculpture located in Willard Park. Created by Claes OldenburgClaes Oldenburg
Claes Oldenburg is a Swedish sculptor, best known for his public art installations typically featuring very large replicas of everyday objects...
and Coosje van Bruggen
Coosje van Bruggen
Coosje van Bruggen was a sculptor, art historian, and critic. She collaborated extensively with her husband, Claes Oldenburg.-Biography:...
, it has been called the "world's largest rubber stamp
Rubber stamp
Rubber stamping, also called stamping, is a craft in which some type of ink made of dye or pigment is applied to an image or pattern that has been carved, molded, laser engraved or vulcanized, onto a sheet of rubber. The rubber is often mounted onto a more stable object such as a wood, brick or an...
". The dimensions of the sculpture are 28 in 10 in (8.79 m) by 26 ft (7.9 m) by 49 ft (14.9 m). The sculpture depicts a rubber stamp with the word "FREE" in its stamping area.
The work was commissioned by Standard Oil of Ohio
Standard Oil of Ohio
Standard Oil of Ohio or Sohio was an American oil company that was acquired by British Petroleum, now called BP.It was one of the successor companies to Standard Oil after the antitrust breakup in 1911. Standard Oil of Ohio was the original Standard Oil company founded by John D. Rockefeller. It...
(Sohio) in 1985 for display at its soon-to-be-constructed headquarters building on Public Square
Public Square
Public Square is the central plaza in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It takes up four city blocks; Superior Avenue and Ontario Street cross through it. Cleveland's three tallest buildings, Key Tower, 200 Public Square and the Terminal Tower, face the square...
, which became the BP Tower
BP Tower
200 Public Square is the third-tallest skyscraper in Cleveland, Ohio...
. The piece was originally designed to stand upright, with the lettering of the stamp hidden from view on its "stamp pad". According to one of the executives working with Oldenburg, the message on the stamp was intended as a reference to the Civil War-era Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument
Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument (Cleveland)
The Cuyahoga County Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument is a monument to Civil War soldiers and sailors from Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Located in the southeast quadrant of Public Square in downtown Cleveland, it was designed by architect Levi Scofield , who also created the monument's sculptures and...
, located across the street.
Sohio had previously been acquired by BP
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
, and BP executive Robert Horton
Robert Horton
Sir Robert Horton, FRSA is a British businessman. He is a Director of the European Advisory Council and of Emerson Electric Company. He spent 30 years working for BP, formerly British Petroleum. He became Chief Executive and Chairman of the Board of BP in March 1990, but was forced out in 1992...
took over the management of Sohio before the sculpture was installed. He believed that the stamp was "inappropriate" for the location, and that Oldenburg actually intended to mock BP about Sohio's loss of corporate freedom and the lack of freedom in office work. The company gave the artists permission to move the sculpture to another part of the city, but they refused. As a result, the stamp was placed in storage in a facility in Whiting, Indiana
Whiting, Indiana
Whiting is a city located in the Chicago Metropolitan Area in Lake County, Indiana, which was founded in 1889. The city is located on the southern shore of Lake Michigan. It is roughly 16 miles from the Chicago Loop and just short of two miles from Chicago's South Side. Whiting is home to Whiting...
. Over the next several years, BP, the artists, and the city consulted to find a new site for the sculpture. Several sites were proposed, including the Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland Museum of Art
The Cleveland Museum of Art is an art museum situated in the Wade Park District, in the University Circle neighborhood on Cleveland's east side. Internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian and Egyptian art, the museum houses a diverse permanent collection of more than 43,000...
. The artists, who wanted the sculpture to remain near Public Square, finally chose Willard Park.
In 1991, BP donated the sculpture to the city of Cleveland. The stamp was modified to sit on its side, and it was dedicated in its new location in November 1991. Oldenburg reportedly said that it looked as if a giant hand had picked up the sculpture from its intended location at the BP Tower
BP Tower
200 Public Square is the third-tallest skyscraper in Cleveland, Ohio...
and angrily hurled it several blocks, where it ended up on its side.