Iowa City, Iowa: The Sitting Man
The Sitting Man -- officially titled "Man on a Bench" -- is a 20-foot-tall, 110-ton limestone sculpture of a fat man sitting on a bench. Carved over a period of several years by Doug Paul, who is not a sculptor.
- Address:
- Harvest Rd, Iowa City, IA
- Directions:
- Northeast edge of the city. I-80 exit 246. Drive south on Hwy 1 for a half-mile. Turn left at the stoplight onto Scott Blvd. Drive two miles. You'll see the statue on a hill to the right (west) side.
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Visitor Tips and News About The Sitting Man
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Just to let people know, the Sitting Man was moved to the other side of the road so he now sits on the west side of the road instead of east. I drive by there multiple times per month. Right now he has a mask on due to Covid-19.
[K Schmitz, 09/13/2020]
The Sitting Man is a large sculpture, situated on a hilltop close to the road, very easily seen. The road is busy with no pull-off, but a quick stop is possible if care is taken to watch for traffic.
[Stephan Parsons, 05/02/2015]20 feet tall, carved from 110 tons of Indiana limestone.
[Kearey Yashack, 04/19/2015]The Sitting Man overlooks the cars below on Scott Blvd -- or he will when he's complete, which was supposed to be in the Summer of 2014, but now may be in the Fall of 2015. The Sitting Man is the project of J.B. Barnhouse and Doug Paul, and is part of Harvest Preserve, a private nature sanctuary and sculpture park. The meaning of The Sitting Man is undefined, although Paul has said that it's "distinctly Iowan."
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A change in property ownership triggered the move in 2020 -- not an easy task, because Sitting Man weighs over 110 tons. It's hoped that his new location will enable people to get closer to the sculpture.