Meet the Cleveland Guardians.
The Cleveland Guardians is the new name for the former Cleveland Indians team. The team made the announcement via a Tom Hanks-narrated video that was posted to its social media channels. It also included a few new logos. The name change isn’t just important for baseball, as “Guardians” pays tribute to some of the city’s most iconic transportation landmarks.
Eight Art Deco statues, the “Guardians Of Traffic”, or Lords of Traffic or Guardians of Transportation, are located on four pylons at either end of Cleveland’s Hope Memorial Bridge. It is located just south of the Cleveland Baseball team’s Progressive Field. The bridge connects the eastern and west parts of the city and has been a landmark since its completion, in 1932.
Paul Dolan, team owner, stated that “Guardians” reflects the attributes that make us unique while drawing inspiration from the Guardians of Traffic located outside the ballpark at the Hope Memorial Bridge.” It reflects the pride that Clevelanders have in their city, and the way that we fight together for all those who are part of the Cleveland Baseball family.
The four 43-foot tall pylons, designed by Henry Hering and Frank Walker, were placed on the bridge almost 90 years ago. They are the only monuments that remain in the city’s Art Deco style.
Each Guardians statue wears a winged crown of laurel and has in its hands a form of ground transportation. These include hay wagons, concrete trucks, passenger cars, and covered wagons. Initial plans called for boats and planes, but this was later dropped in favor of road-going passenger cars and vehicles that could be driven on roads.
This is the fourth name change for Cleveland baseball in its 120-year history. The others are the Blues (1901), Bronchos (2002), Naps (1903-14), Indians (1915-2021) and Naps (1903-14). This is the most significant change so far and it’s one that is likely to stay.