WW I Monument at the Mohave Courthouse
Plaza of Valor Firefighters Monument
Rickety Cricket Motorcycle Sculpture
Kingman Tours Jim Hinkley Statue
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Historic Downtown Kingman is caricatured by several eras of American architecture, colorful murals, and street-side sculptures. Some sculptures are historically significant, others are whimsical and fun. Here’s a list of six interesting works of art you can find walking around Downtown.
- The Spirit of the American Navy and Spirit of the American Doughboy WWI monuments at the historic Mohave County Courthouse (415 E Spring St) are pressed copper sculptures by E. M. Viquesney and were dedicated on May 30, 1928. “The Spirit of the American Doughboy” is perhaps the most common WWI memorial statue to exist, but only seven "Spirit of the American Navy" staues are known to exist. The monument in Kingman is the only instance where both pieces stand on the same base. A Colt 1895 machine gun that was originally mounted on the pedestal between the statues was stolen around 1994. it was replaced with an exact replica during a rededication in 2019.
- Plaza of Valor sculpture titled “Homage” was a gift by Sculptor Gary Slater to the people of Mohave County. It was originally dedicated on Nov 11, 1980 at 2202 Stockton Hill Road (formerly Mohave Savings & Loan Association) as a tribute to the 12 Kingman volunteer firefighters who perished in a 1973 railcar propane explosion. Sometime in the mid-1990s it was relocated to Kingman Fire Station #1 (301 N 5th St).
- The Rickety Cricket Riding a Motorcycle metal sculpture was relocated to Dirty Dough Co (532 E Beale St) in January 2020. It was originally built by Forever Metal Art and installed first in 2016 at Rosie's Den Café, a biker hangout north of Kingman on Hwy 9 To us, it looks more like a grasshopper than a cricket. But it’s a cool piece regardless.
- The Walk About with Jim Hinckley bronze statue is part of Kingman Main Street’s Kingman Tours project and was dedicated as pat of the proclamation of National Road Trip Day on Friday, May 27, 2022. It was completed that to grants from the Arizona Office of Tourism, the Finn Foundation, and the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona. It can be seen in front of the Kingman Railroad Museum at 402 E Andy Devine Ave (aka Route 66).
- Kingman Chuckwalla by Solomon Bassoff of Faducci studio was installed February 2018. The Chuckwalla, which inspired the piece, is the largest lizard in the United States. Kingman’s lizard is 7 feet long and 4 feet wide and made of metal, cement, and Italian mosaic glass. It can be on the south-west side of Andy Devine Ave (aka Route 66) and 4th Street.
- The Running Hare by Donald Gialanella was created in 2015 (erected September 24) of recycled steel and stainless steel recovered from a local scrap yard. This work of art was inspired by a local desert inhabitant and incorporated some car parts to honor the automotive history of Route 66. It stands 12 feet high and can be found on the north-west corner of Andy Devine Ave (aka Route 66) and 4th Street.
Guide Tip - If you want to get your steps in, consider starting at #1 in front of Mohave County’s historic Courthouse at 4th Street and Spring Street. By the end of your excursion, you’ll be three short blocks south at 4th Street and Andy Devine Ave near Kingman’s historic Railroad Depot. After returning to your original location up 4th Street, you’ll have walked about 9/10s of a mile or nearly 1.5 km.