Corrado Parducci Facts for Kids

The Guardian Building in Detroit, Michigan, features Parducci's art.

Corrado Giuseppe Parducci (born March 10, 1900 – died November 22, 1981) was a talented Italian-American sculptor. He created amazing sculptures for buildings, and his work was very popular in the early 1900s.

Early Life and Learning
Training and Career
Parducci's Work at the Detroit Masonic Temple
Buildings with Parducci's Art
See also

Early Life and Learning

Corrado Parducci was born in a small village called Buti, near Pisa, Italy. In 1904, when he was just four years old, his family moved to New York City in the United States.

When he was young, a wealthy artist named Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney helped him go to art school. He studied at the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design and the Art Students League. Some of his teachers were famous artists like George Bridgman and Albin Polasek.

Training and Career

In 1917, Parducci became an apprentice to a sculptor named Ulysses Ricci. This means he worked for Ricci to learn the craft. Later, while working at the Anthony DiLorenzo studio, his amazing sculptures caught the eye of Albert Kahn, a well-known architect from Detroit.

In 1924, Parducci traveled to Detroit to work for Kahn. He only planned to stay for a few months. But the car industry was growing fast in Detroit during the 1920s, creating lots of work. So, Parducci decided to move his family to Michigan. He ended up spending the rest of his career working from Detroit.

The Rackham Fountain at the Detroit Zoo, designed by Parducci.

Parducci had a studio in Detroit with tall windows that let in lots of light for his work. His sculptures can be found on many beautiful buildings in the Detroit area. These include churches, schools, banks, hospitals, and homes.

His art is also in many other major cities across Michigan. You can see his work in places like Ann Arbor, Dearborn, Flint, and Grand Rapids. By the end of his long career, Parducci's art decorated about 600 buildings!

His very last project was in 1980. He carved a portrait of architect Henry Hobson Richardson for the New York State Capitol building in Albany, New York.

Parducci worked in many different art styles. These included Romanesque, Classical, and Renaissance styles. He even used Aztec, Mayan, and Pueblo Deco designs. But he is most famous for helping to create the Greco Deco style.

Parducci's Work at the Detroit Masonic Temple

Corrado Parducci played a big part in decorating the inside of the Detroit Masonic Temple. He worked with Anthony DiLorenzo, who was an ornamentalist from New York. Parducci was the sculptor for their team.

Parducci met architect Albert Kahn in New York City. Kahn encouraged him to come to Detroit to work on some bank buildings. Parducci came to Detroit, at first only for a couple of months.

Parducci's design for the Masonic Temple lobby was inspired by an old castle in Palermo, Sicily. He created a 5-foot bronze plaque for the floor, which showed symbols of Strength, Truth, and Beauty. He also sculpted two plaques for the stone walls inside the Scottish Rite entrance. These designs were then repeated as plaster plaques in the main lobby.