Bronze Head in Invisible Train Car

Tucson, Arizona

Described as "a whirlwind of power and energy" on his strange monument's plaque, Epes Randolph was an eastern civil engineer and railroad bridge-builder until lung damage forced him to move to Tucson. This didn't slow him down, according to the plaque, he "soon dominated industry, mining, and politics in Arizona." He died in 1921, but despite being such an important guy it wasn't until 2008 that this monument was unveiled.

Designed by Nicholas Lowell Burke, it's an exercise in negative space: a bronze bust of Randolph, perched atop a pedestal made of railroad rails, surrounded by a lot of air and a few sets of railroad car wheels. It's as if Randolph's head is being transported somewhere in an invisible train car.

The entire monument has developed a warm crust in the desert climate, making it look older than it actually is. But no less strange.