Sculptures in Illinois

Discover 21 unusual sculptures in Illinois.

Galena, Illinois

West Street Sculpture Park

Dozens of large steel sculptures fill this two-acre park outside a former blacksmith's studio.

Chicago, Illinois

The Light of Truth Ida B. Wells National Monument

This monument owes its name to a quote by the famous civil rights activist and journalist.

Urbana, Illinois

Sons and Daughters of Deucalion and Pyrrha

Fragments of a massive unfinished sculpture sit near the main quad of the University of Illinois.

East Peoria, Illinois

Franklin Street Bridge Monument

Steel remnants of a bridge make up a unique sculpture along the banks of the Illinois River.

Peoria, Illinois

'Peace' and 'Harvest' Sculptures

These Depression-era WPA sculptures have made a couple of stops over the years.

Morton, Illinois

'Spirit of Communication'

A Depression-era sculpture by Charles Umlauf survives in a small suburban post office.

Chicago, Illinois

'Ten Thousand Ripples'

Partially submerged Buddha heads freckle Chicago’s neighborhoods.

Vandalia, Illinois

The Kaskaskia Dragon

Buy a token from the liquor store and you can make this beast spew flames on command.

Chicago, Illinois

Concrete Traffic

An actual 1957 Cadillac De Ville, encased in 15 cubic yards of concrete.

Chicago, Illinois

Man With Fish

This awkward aquarium sculpture is one of the strangest statues in Chicago.

University Park, Illinois

Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park

A sprawling museum filled with larger-than-life works of art.

Chicago, Illinois

Lucent

A shining sculpture made of 3,115 lights, the number of visible stars in the Northern Hemisphere.

Brookfield, Illinois

Brookfield Zoo's Sinclair Dinosaur

It was originally part of a "terrible lizards" collection at the 1964 New York World’s Fair.

Chicago, Illinois

Heald Square Monument's Statue of Liberty

The iconic Chicago sculpture hides a beautiful and easily overlooked plaque on the backside.

Permanently Closed

Ashmore, Illinois

World's Tallest Lincoln Statue

This abandoned Abraham Lincoln statue has also earned the honorary of "World's Ugliest."

Chicago, Illinois

Dialogo

This abstract sculpture is rumored to cast a hammer-and-sickle shadow once a year.