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VIDEO: Watch Giant Abe Lincoln Installed on Michigan Avenue

By David Matthews | November 1, 2016 12:10pm | Updated on November 1, 2016 2:58pm

DOWNTOWN — Abraham Lincoln once said all men are created equal.

But statues definitely aren't.

A 25-foot-tall effigy of perhaps the country's greatest president was installed Tuesday at Pioneer Court, 401 N. Michigan Ave. The piece titled "Return Visit" depicts Lincoln handing a copy of the Gettysburg Address to a modern day man wearing sneakers and corduroys.

The sculpture is the work of Seward Johnson, the New Jersey artist who designed the big Marilyn Monroe statue that occupied Pioneer Court in 2011. 

The giant Marilyn Monroe statue in 2011. (Shutterstock)

Paula Stoeke, the curator of Johnson's gallery, said the new piece is meant to remind passersby of Lincoln's message about equality more than 150 years ago. 

The piece previously appeared last year in Dayton, Ohio. 

Workers using straps and a crane installed the two statues, attracting a crowd that at one point numbered more than 100 people. The sculpture will remain in the plaza through next year, she said. It's being paid for by Zeller Realty Group, which owns Pioneer Court. 

Check out the slideshow above or scroll down below for more looks at the newest art Downtown:


[All photos by DNAinfo/David Matthews]

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