Plaza (Riley Hospital for Children) facts for kids
The plaza at the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) campus was built in 1986. It was part of a big $56 million project to expand the Riley Hospital for Children.
This plaza features three special areas with artworks of faces. You can find these faces on an archway, a brick wall, and a carved tree stump.
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Artworks with Faces
Quick facts for kids  |
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| Type | wood, metal, cast stone, brick, concrete |
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| Dimensions |
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| Location | Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States |
The plaza has three main art pieces that feature faces. These artworks are made from different materials like wood, metal, stone, brick, and concrete. They add a unique touch to the plaza.
The Archway: A Welcoming Entrance
The archway is on the east side of the plaza. It is made of wood, metal, and special cast stone. The wood is painted red and has a cool grid pattern.
The archway has a square shape on the outside with a curved arch in the middle. It gets narrower as it goes up, ending with a wavy wooden design at the very top. You can see three lion faces on the front of the archway. One is on the left, one on the right, and the third is centered above the arch.
The archway stands on a base made of concrete and red brick. The archway itself is about 11 feet tall. Each of the three lion faces is round and about 6 inches across.
The Wall: A Fountain of Faces
Just past the archway, also on the east side, is a wall with more faces. This wall is built from red brick and concrete. It has seven cast stone faces.
The faces on the wall show two different designs: a cherub (like a small angel) and a lion. These designs take turns along the wall. Each face is surrounded by a square concrete section.
This wall also works like a fountain. The cherub and lion faces have spouts, and there's a white pool below them to catch the water. The top middle part of the wall is open. This space might have been used for planting flowers. The wall is about 23.5 feet long and 4 feet tall. All the faces on the wall are round and about 6 inches across.
The Tree Stump: Carved Stories
On the east side of the plaza, you'll also find a carved tree stump. This stump has four different images carved into its sides.
On the front, there's a moon. On the left side, you can see a creature that looks like a troll. The back of the stump has a full sun carved into it. Finally, on the right side, there's a man with a long beard. The tree stump is about 2.5 feet tall and 1 foot across.
About the Plaza's Design
The plaza was designed by a company called Ellerbe Associates from Bloomington, Minnesota. It was part of a large expansion project for Riley Hospital for Children in 1986. The wall with faces was also part of this big plan.
The people who designed the plaza wanted to use red brick. This was a way to remember the very first building of Riley Hospital for Children. The plaza was created to be a nice, relaxing place where patients and visitors could spend time and eat.
Researching Outdoor Art
A class at IUPUI recently studied and reported on 40 outdoor sculptures on the university campus. The "Untitled (Faces)" artwork in this plaza was one of the pieces they looked at.
This research project was inspired by a successful campaign called "Save Outdoor Sculpture!" from 1989. During the 1990s, over 7,000 volunteers across the United States helped to list and check the condition of more than 30,000 public sculptures and monuments.
