Cedar Falls, Iowa: Abstract Tree (replacing Monument to the Elm)

After the humanoid carving "Monument to the Elm" rotted away, it was replaced by the 15-ft. tall "From Tragedy to Triumph" abstract metal sculpture. Stands in front of the Lutheran Center.

Monument to the Elm

This attraction appears to be gone...maybe blown down in a major storm that hit the neighborhood in 2009.

[Jeff Jones, 04/13/2010]

The Working Man, Not The Screaming Man

The statue on the corner of College and University is not the "Screaming Man." It is titled "The Working Man" and it was carved out of a dying tree in the mid-70's by a student who attended the University of Northern Iowa. It was never treated with any preservative because the artist wanted it to remain natural and return to the elements the way any tree would, rather than trying to preserve it with chemicals.

[Lisa November, 07/30/2005]

The Screaming Man

On University Blvd. across the street from the University of Northern Iowa is a sculpture that appeared there in the early 80s, if I remember correctly. It's maybe 20 feet tall, carved out of a tree trunk. I think it is intended to evoke spiritual struggle or something (the building was, at the time, church-connected), but we always called it the screaming man. It's also a disintegrating man, but was still there a couple years ago.

[Pat Cannon, 01/23/2000]