The Rock
George Washington Park
Location	Hill St and Washtenaw Ave Ann Arbor, Michigan
Coordinates	42°16′21.0″N 83°43′42.6″W / 42.272500°N 83.728500°W / 42.272500; -83.728500
Opened	1932 (1932)

The Rock is a boulder in George Washington Park in Ann Arbor, Michigan, near the campus of the University of Michigan. The Rock is frequently painted by students and campus organizations. The Rock is located in George Washington Park, which was dedicated in 1932 on the occasion of George Washington's 200th birthday. The Rock saw its first coat of paint in the 1950s, and continues to be repainted regularly by students.

History

Ann Arbor parks superintendent Eli Gallup, who served from 1919 to 1964, personally designated the installation of multiple particularly attractive boulders in city parks. One such boulder, a glacial erratic, was found in the city gravel pit on Pontiac Trail, which would later become Olson Park. The limestone boulder bore deep scratches from the movement of the glaciers that deposited it, and Gallup saw it fit for installation in a city park.^[1]

The triangular plot of land at Washtenaw Ave and Hill St, to become George Washington Park, was donated to the City of Ann Arbor in 1911 by dentist Louis Hall. Hall feared that a gas station would be constructed on the land, and wanted to ensure that the land remained undeveloped.^[1]

The Rock and the land were united in February 1932, when a crew of WPA workers with two trucks and a trailer moved the rock across town to the park site. The park was christened in memory of George Washington, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of his birth. Eli Gallup's son Al Gallup, who witnessed the installation of the rock at the age of seven, believed that his father cared more about the rock itself than the symbolism of George Washington.^[2] Nonetheless, the city council and the local Daughters of the American Revolution chapter were convinced, and both provided funding for the transportation of the rock.^[3]

The Rock was first painted in the mid-1950s, when a group of visiting Michigan State students painted their school's initials and colors on the day of the rivalry football game. Michigan students quickly countered by repainting the rock with profanities and the names of fraternities. The parks department initially attempted to remove the paint, but soon relented, and has permitted the practice for decades.^[1][4]

In 1982, Ann Arbor resident and Michigan State student Brian Durrance chipped the paint off the Rock, confirming that the copper plaque commemorating George Washington was still in place. Clearing the Rock of paint took two days, and additional coats were applied shortly afterwards.^[1] The Rock has been continually repainted since, with the paint reaching a thickness of up to 5 in (13 cm) in 2010.^[5]

Opposition to the painting has been present since the practice began. In 1993, the city considered rapidly removing the Rock after a large number of complaints, but ultimately decided to keep the Rock in place. The city commissioned a study of the soil around the Rock, expecting it to be heavily contaminated, but no significant contamination was found.^[4] A 2010 investigation by The Michigan Daily found that the city had previously attempted to keep the sidewalks near the Rock clear of paint, at a cost of over $2,500 per year, but stopped after finding it futile.^[6]

Notable messages

The Rock was painted with the slogan "Spartan Strong" after the 2023 Michigan State University shooting, which remained for multiple days.^[7]

The Rock was set on fire on the evening of January 8, 2024. The fire at the Rock was one of 17 set in celebration after the Wolverines football victory over Washington in the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship.^[8]

References

See also

• The Rock (Michigan State University)