World’s Largest Rubber Stamp
Monday, 8th December 2008 by Ian Brown
Continuing our exploration of World's Largest trivia - in Cleveland, Ohio we find the World's Largest Rubber Stamp.
The Free Stamp - a pop art sculpture created by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen quickly became the centre of controversy. It was originally commissioned by Standard Oil of Ohio, but an ownership change and fears of a public backlash in an economically struggling city meant construction was halted. The components were kept in storage for a number of years.
It was finally put on public display in Willard Park in the early 1990s, when BP America agreed to donate it to the city but pay for the maintenance. The stamp is 8m tall and almost 15m long, its bulk clearly apparent on Street View.
Unfortunately, it appears that the current economic climate has also had an impact on the location.
Now if only we can track down the world's largest inkpad ...
Thanks to Rich Holmes and Keith.
Google Sightseeing has previously featured a number of works by the same artist: Saw, Sawing, Dropped Cone, and Spoonbridge and Cherry.
About the author
Ian Brown lives in Ottawa, Canada, and spends his spare time perusing maps to find new routes to ride on his orange bicycle.
Has Goggle’s Blurbot been at work on the streetview? Perhaps it misinterpreted the command to blur the F-word?
“Unfortunately, it appears that the current economic climate has also had an impact on the location.”
This photo was taken in December 2007. The economic crisis has been unfolding here for 40 years. The scam that all now see around the world was a decades long Hurricane Katrina in Cleveland. Welcome to the real world.
I challenge anyone to move yourself and your activism for social justice to Cleveland and make a difference. This is your economy, too. Riiiiight… just stay safe and warm. I’m sure it is nicer in fantasy land. However, if it is not already there, this scene is coming to a neighborhood near you.
As to FREE, Cuyahoga County residents pay more tax than those in any other county in the state of Ohio. Not free, not really. The FREE Stamp was a nice idea, but it is located in Willard Park right next to Cleveland City Hall (oh! the irony…) and along a path to Brown’s Stadium which taxpayers will be paying for until they pass the debt on to their children.
………..anyway! :oI