CLEVELAND — The Guardians of Transportation have certainly been in the spotlight in Cleveland in recent years and today marks the 88th birthday for these mythic figures, which are carved into pylons on either end of the Hope Memorial Bridge.
The Lorain-Carnegie Bridge, now called the Hope Memorial Bridge, opened on December 2, 1932. For past 88 years, the 4,490-foot long bridge has been known for these massive statues.
These statues symbolize the progress and protection of transportation for anyone who passes by on the bridge.
Each guardian holds a different vehicle in his hand -- a hay wagon, covered wagon, stagecoach, a passenger car and four other types of trucks.
According to Ohio Outdoor Sculpture, "Henry Hering carved each piece out of a 43 foot tall sandstone slab based on designs by Frank Walker. The Guardians were Hering's first foray into the Art Deco style and they remain the only public Art Deco monument in the city."
In 1983, the bridge was renamed the Hope Memorial Bridge in honor of actor Bob Hope and his family. William Henry Hope, Bob’s father, was a stonemason who worked on the construction of the Guardians in the 1930s.
During the 2016 Republican National Convention, three thousand people joined hands on the bridge in a peaceful demonstration. "Circle the City with Love" was a group of people that stood in silence to promote a moment of love and reflection.
Back in 2018, Cleveland's planning commission unveiled the new banner that would replace the iconic LeBron banner on the Sherwin-Williams Global Headquarters building on Ontario Street.
That new banner featured one of the Guardians of Traffic on the Hope Memorial Bridge with the slogan "All for the Land'.
On July 3, the Cleveland Indians released a statement announcing they were having ongoing discussions that could ultimately result in the franchise changing its name.
3News sports reporter Ben Axelrod made a case for the Indians to be renamed the Cleveland Guardians.
Cleveland's "Guardians" have gained popularity in recent years, having been depicted on local t-shirts, placed prominently in artwork and even inspiring the Cleveland Cavaliers' first "City Edition" uniforms. "Guardians" is also a term that's become prevalent in pop culture and comic books, i.e., Guardians of the Galaxy.
While "Guardians" might not have a historic link to Cleveland like "Spiders," "Naps" or "Buckeyes," it makes for a natural replacement that both represents Cleveland and gives its baseball team a larger than life persona.