Detroit Legends Plaza opens today
Red Wings' greats represented in walk of fame
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| Ted Lindsay put his hands in cement for the Detroit Historical Society in August 2011. |
DETROIT – A special ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday morning unveiled the new walkway to the Detroit Historical Museum in Detroit’s New Center area.
The new outdoor exhibit featuring the handprints and signatures cast in cement of some of Detroit’s most notable citizens, including Red Wings’ greats Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay, and owners Mike and Marian Ilitch, in Detroit Legends Plaza.
The plaza was made possible through the Detroit Historical Society’s Past>Forward campaign, which set out to raise more than $20 million for the new and expanded exhibits, technology upgrades and enhancements of the museum.
Over the last 14 months, the society collected the handprints of 23 individuals in cement for the initial unveiling. Lindsay, 87, was excited to be one of the first to put his hands in wet concrete last August.
“It’s a great honor,” Lindsay said. “You think of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in California with all of those stars. I don’t know if I’m a star, but I’m happy to have my hands in cement.”
Besides the Wings, other Detroit sports celebrities represented in the plaza include Tigers great Al Kaline, boxing champion Tommy Hearns, Lions running back Barry Sanders and former Pistons greats Dave Bing and Joe Dumars.
Other celebrated Detroiters in the plaza are singers Martha Reeves and Alice Cooper, comedienne Lily Tomlin, and movie producer Sam Raimi.
