A well-known monument, which has been a staple at Northland Mall since it opened in 1954 – has been saved.
Marshall M. Fredericks’ iconic “Boy and Bear” sculpture had been set for auction in mid-May along with many of the malls objects. However, the city of Southfield, vehemently opposed the sale and stepped in and agreed to pay $500,000 cash and forgive overdue property taxes to acquire the sculpture and other artwork at the soon-to-close Northland Center mall.
The 1954 sculpture could have otherwise gone to public auction to help repay the mall’s debts. Northland is to close by April 15. Its Macy’s anchor closed March 22. The purchase gives the city full ownership of the Fredericks sculpture that depicts a young man atop a bear.
The statue is one of several Fredericks sculptures around metro Detroit, the most well-known being the “Spirit of Detroit” statue outside Detroit’s city hall.
“I did not want the artwork to leave the city,” Southfield’s acting mayor, Donald Fracassi, told the Free Press today.
The deal was put together and approved late Wednesday by Oakland County Circuit Judge Wendy Potts. There will be a $500,000 payment by the city to Northland’s court-appointed receiver. The city also agreed to forgive the mall’s unpaid property taxes. According to Southfield’s mayor, the $500,000 will come from various city accounts, including an art acquisitions fund.
In the meantime, the city will look for a site to keep “Boy and Bear” on public display in Southfield. The city has until April 15 to pick up its new sculpture and the other Northland artworks it purchased, including Pegasus statues, a cement elephant and the golden foil-like “Crowd” sculpture by Italian artist Gio Pomodoro.
John Polderman, an attorney for the receiver, said there had been substantial interest in the sculpture, but at the end of the day, they felt that it belonged in Southfield.
“After reviewing the position of the state and the funds available and other factors, we believe this to be best” option, he said to the Detroit Free Press.
In the meantime, receivers will prepare to auction off a multitude of objects at the iconic mall. There will be plenty of Northland objects to sell. According to Polderman, things will likely be auctioned on line as inside the mall – benches, tables, racks and holiday decorations, even a box of Pewabic tiles that depict “Boy and Bear.”
“There’s literally rooms and rooms of 50 years of accumulated stuff, for lack of a better word,” Polderman said.
Fredericks had world-famous sculptures on display all over the state of Michigan. He had a Royal Oak studio and died at age of 90 at his Birmingham home in 1998.
Zack Burgess is an award winning journalist. He is the Director/Owner of OFF WOODWARD MEDIA, LLC, where he works as a writer, editor and communications specialist. His work can be seen at zackburgess.com. Twitter: @zackburgess1
About Post Author
