A Trespass of Swine

the Porkopolis blog

Considerations of humanity and hogritude, because an insufficiency of pigs is one of the great faults of all that the gods have made manifest to man.

Sawyer Point Park, Cincinnati

Cincinnati Gateway at Bicentennial Commons,
Sawyer Point Park, Cincinnati, Ohio

Sawyer Point Park pig

[the winged swine represent] the angelic spirits of all the pigs that were slaughtered and were building blocks of Cincinnati’s prosperity. So they’re up there paying one last tribute — singing the ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ — to all their [dead] brethren who flowed into the river…

– Andrew Leicester (b. 1948)

Cincinnati Gateway is the official entrance to Bicentennial Commons Park. Commissioned to celebrate the city’s 200th birthday, this sculpture depicts various aspects of Cincinnati’s history from prehistoric times to the period of early settlement and economic growth. The central elements are flying pigs atop riverboat stacks.

Sawyer Point Park pig smoke stack

The whimsical winged pigs atop the four steamboat stacks recall a time when Cincinnati was nicknamed “Porkopolis” and meat packing and soap manufacturing dominated the local economy.

Sawyer Point Park Gateway view

The park is the design of Andrew Leicester in collaboration with Meyer, Scherer and Rockcastle Architects of Minneapolis. The park was dedicated in 1988 and was the winner of the Top Honor Award at the International Waterfront World Conference in Washington. DC in 1999.

Editor’s Note:

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