Created by two prominent American sculptors, the Gen. John Logan Memorial is an imposing monument to an Illinois-born war hero. Appreciate the contrast of the bronze and stone portions of the memorial’s design against a backdrop of greenery and the downtown Chicago skyline. Relax on the grassy lawns that surround the Gen. John Logan Memorial and visit other attractions within the city’s emblematic Grant Park.
Beaux-arts generation sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens designed the memorial alongside the revered animalier Alexander Phimister Proctor. Study their depiction of John Alexander Logan, a soldier who fought in both the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War. Logan is famous for lobbying for Memorial Day to be an official federal holiday.
Climb steps leading up the western side of a grassy knoll, on which the monument stands. It features Saint-Gaudens’ bronze portrayal of Logan dressed in a military uniform and triumphantly holding a flagpole in his right hand. Logan sits on a lifelike sculpture of a charging horse by Proctor. The original plan for the knoll was a burial tomb for Logan and his wife however, the general remains interred in Washington D.C.
Observe the memorial from the surrounding gardens. Its historical significance offers a curious contrast with the modernity of nearby skyscrapers. At night it is elegantly illuminated by floodlights. Arrive on Memorial Day to be part of a remembrance service that includes a wreath-laying ceremony and a 21-gun salute.
Travel to the memorial by taking the train to Museum Campus/11th St. station and then walking for less than 5 minutes. Public bus lines also stop within a short stroll of the landmark.
The Gen. John Logan Memorial is a public landmark and free to visit. Tour some of the other attractions in this section of Grant Park. Admire the colorful flowerbeds and prruned hedges of the Formal Gardens and see Agora, a group of 106 headless iron figures by Polish artist Magdalena Abakanowicz.
