History
Ann Arbor's city parks sit on the ancestral and traditional homelands of several indigenous Native peoples. Read a
land acknowledgement from the city and learn more about the early history of the land
here.
The Arch Sculpture, aka The Kerrytown Arch, was initially erected 1977 through a grant from the Michigan Council For the Arts. It is 18 feet of steel. The sculptor, David Heberling, graduated from University of Michigan with an MFA. In his words, “The history of the triumphal arch dates back to the Romans, who scattered them as a mark of their conquests in Italy, France, North Africa, and Asia. This 'arch' updates that ancient lineage with recent elements from cubism, minimalism, and modernist abstraction. It functions here as a symbolic gate, a segue between the downtown business district and Kerrytown." (From Public Art in Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County, by Martha R. Keller & Michael J. Curtis, 1995.) Courtesy of Ann Arbor Public Art Commission
The Arch was removed in 2007 for restoration by Giorgio Gakas of Venus Bronze Works Inc in Detroit. Graffiti was removed, the corten steel was repaired and the piece was repainted and reinstalled in 2008. The DDA upgraded the plaza by repaving the bricks, adding new lights, bike racks, benches and tables.
There is a sign in the park which provides a glimpse to 1879 life in Kerrytown, entitled A Supply Side of Town.
