Atlas Shrugging

Richmond, Virginia

This 12-foot-tall mythological figure is definitely Atlas, but the man who built it for his gym always called it "Hercules." That was in 1970, and when the gym eventually closed, the beefcake monument was moved across the street, into a vacant lot, to preserve it. He's stood there ever since.

Now orphaned, Atlas has endured occasional public humiliation from pranksters, who occasionally augment the statue with goofy outfits or naughty body parts. And Atlas lost his globe years ago. Now he struggles to hold up the air.