Q: I recently saw the statue in Woodruff Park that shows a woman holding a bird above her head. What’s it called? What’s the significance of that statue?
A: The bronze sculpture in the downtown park probably often is mistaken for a woman lifting a large bird, like she's releasing it to fly away.
Look again.
That’s not a bird, but a phoenix, although it might be tough to tell the difference.
And the phoenix is pulling the woman from flames, symbolizing Atlanta’s rise from being torched during the Civil War.
The sculpture is named “Atlanta from the Ashes,” but it’s also called “The Phoenix,” and it’s been a part of the city since 1969. (A phoenix also is depicted on Atlanta’s seal).
That’s when The Rich Foundation gave the sculpture to Atlanta to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Rich’s Department Store, which was a part of the city from 1867 until 2005.
An artist named Jim Seigler was asked to sketch his ideas for the statue while he was recovering from knee surgery at what was then-Crawford Long Hospital, author Jeff Clemmons wrote in “Rich’s: A Southern Institution.”
One of the drawings was picked and Italian artist Gemba Quirino was hired to sculpt it for Rich’s, which planned to place it on a pedestal in the middle of the intersection at Hunter (now Martin Luther King Jr. Drive) and Spring Streets.
Quirino died in 1968 and is listed as the artist on the piece, but the sculpture actually was completed by Feruccia Vezzoni, Clemmons wrote.
Not everyone was initially happy with the sculpture when it was placed on Jan. 11, 1969. As visitors can see, she’s nude from the waist up, which offended some residents.
Still, “Atlanta from the Ashes” remained there until 1995, when it was moved to its current spot as the city prepared to host the 1996 Olympics.
“For the first time in its history, the statue was viewable from a pedestrian level,” Clemmons states in his book.” “Before its move, it could only be seen standing across the street from it or by passing it in a moving car.”
The sculpture was cleaned and repaired when it was moved, in 2004 and then again in 2011.
Here is more information on Cave Road, which was profiled in last week’s column.
“There was indeed a cave just off Cave Road hidden in the woods,” emailed Tom Turner, who grew up on Mt. Paran Road in the 1950s. “(It was a) was a favorite place to visit and explore. I recall it was small and flooded with about a foot of water. None of us kids ever made it to the back of the cave since it was too dark and spooky.”
Turner, who lives in east Cobb County, wrote that he visited the cave a few years ago “to find it sealed up with concrete.”
About the Author
