Giant Bronze Wildcat.

Giant Bronze Wildcat

Since the 1960s the team mascot of Johnson & Wales University has been the wildcat -- except for a few years in the 1990s when it was replaced by a griffin. Anxious to put that fantastical gaffe behind them, the university commissioned Mike Fields to sculpt a 12-foot-long, 12-ton wildcat out of bronze, and placed it in front of its sports center. Fields' later said he spent over a month just sculpting the massive head. It stands on a single piece of granite weighing 22 tons, into which is etched "The Wildcat Way."

Giant Bronze Wildcat.

No more griffins here!

Giant Bronze Wildcat

Johnson and Wales University

Address:: 305 Shipyard St., Providence, RI
Directions:: South side of the city. Drive south on US Hwy 1A/Narragansett Blvd. Turn left at the stoplight onto Harborside Blvd and enter the campus of Johnson and Wales University. Drive a quarter-mile. At the stop sign, turn left onto Shipyard St. Drive a hundred yards, past a red brick building on the left, then turn left into the parking lot for the Wildcat Center (There's also a large parking lot on the right). The statue is in front of the Wildcat Center.
Hours:: Lit at night. Local health policies may affect hours and access.

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