We're pleased to welcome Robert Spalding, author of Monumental Seattle, to Island Books. Robert lived in Seattle for fifteen years and has always been fascinated about the city's history. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Northern Iowa and a Master of Arts degree from Purdue University. He is also the author of The Essential Guide to Touring Washington Wineries.
Beginning with the 1899 installation of a stolen Tlingit totem pole at Pioneer Square and stretching to Safeco Field's 2017 Ken Griffey Jr. sculpture, Seattle offers an impressive abundance of public monuments, statues, busts, and plaques. Whether they evoke curiosity and deeper interaction or elicit only a fleeting glance, the stories behind them are worth preserving.
Private donors and civic groups commissioned prominent national sculptors and local artists. The resulting creations represent diverse perspectives and celebrate a wide array of cultural heroes, dozens of firsts, the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, aviation, and military and maritime service.
Monumental Seattle traces the history of these works, exploring their deeper meaning and the context surrounding their creation. It discusses how changing societal values affect public memorials and includes an appendix listing the type, year, location, and artist for sixty, and whether each still exists.
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