The World’s Largest Tiger Statue Is Right Here In The United States

Driving along the highway, you can usually see some strange things. Sure, there are the usual weirdos you pass in the other cars doing things that they think nobody else can see, but there are also some pretty strange attractions found along the highways of the world — especially the United States. Georgia is home to a few of those strange attractions, including the world’s largest tiger statue. Let’s learn a bit more about this strange statue!

The World’s Largest Tiger Statue

The world’s largest tiger statue is a massive sculpture of Brenau University’s mascot, the Golden Tiger. It was created by Greg Johnson in 2013 and funded by Ike Belk, a fan of the university’s sports teams. The tiger is named Lucille after the wife of a former president of Brenau. It stands eight feet tall, 14 feet long, and weighs over a ton. It is located in a small park in Gainesville, Georgia, near the intersection of Hwy 60 and Academy St. NW.

For anyone wanting to visit Lucille, it’s totally free! The entire thing was paid for and is just something to be appreciated by the city and those who love the college it represents.

If there’s one thing that Georgia isn’t known for, it’s tigers. Still, the 14-foot-long, 8-foot-tall tiger statue named Lucille may change that! The total weight of the bronze statue is around 2,200 lbs, meaning it easily clears a ton. The statue is a somewhat recent addition to the state and was created in 2013 by an artist, Greg Johnson.

The reason the tiger exists is pretty simple: the mascot of the nearby college, Brenau University, is a tiger! The college wanted its striped mascot to greet students as they entered the campus so it was placed on Green Street in downtown Gainesville, very close to the campus.

The Sculptor And Finances Behind The Tiger

Greg Johnson is the artist behind Lucille the Tiger, officially known as the Golden Tiger sculpture. Originally a painter, he eventually switched to sculpting and found his true calling. He learned from world-class artists and developed his own style that combined realism and abstraction, a stylistic mixture that can be seen pretty well in Lucille! Over the years, he became famous for his bronze sculptures of wildlife, people, and historical figures. Eventually, he received commissions worldwide, including a statue of John Lewis, a civil rights icon.

Eventually, he got the call to build Lucille. The project was commissioned by a philanthropist who wanted to honor the school’s mascot, Ike Belk. Belk was part of the famous Belk family from North Carolina and had a renowned love for school athletics. In fact, Belk paid for many schools to erect massive sculptures all over the south! He’s since passed, but his school statue legacy will remain!

After the commissioning call, Johnson spent 500 hours creating Lucille the Tiger. After presenting a few ideas, he finally landed on what can be seen in Gainsville today:

“Do you want a growling tiger? A leaping tiger? A smiling tiger? I typically try to present two, maybe three concepts and maybe 50-50 they’ll go with the more artistic one.”

Gainesville Times

Where Is Gainsville, Georgia Located On A Map?

The world’s largest tiger statue is located in Gainesville, Georgia, which is in the northeast region of the state about 50 miles north of Atlanta. The statue is in a small park on the east side of Highway 60/Green Street at its intersection with Academy Street NW. It is located close to the college. Georgia is located on the southeast coast of the United States. It is bordered by Florida to the south, Alabama to the west, Tennessee and North Carolina to the north, and South Carolina to the northeast.

A State Known For Icons

There are quite a few notable sculptures in the state of Georgia! Here are a few of the other most prominent ones (including the ever-famous Georgia Peach on I-85!).

• The Giant Peach: A 65-foot-tall peach-shaped water tower on Interstate 85 that symbolizes Georgia’s reputation as the Peach State. For anyone familiar with driving up and down the East Coast on this major highway, it’s an extremely familiar (and welcome) sight!
• The Albert Einstein Sculpture: A 3,000-pound bronze statue of the famous physicist that sits on the Georgia Tech campus. The statue is the third and final installment that the artist, Robert Berks, will be making of the iconic scientist. There is a similar one in Washington, D.C.
• The Rise Up Falcon: A 42-foot-tall steel falcon perched atop a football that represents the Atlanta Falcons football team. Georgia is known for its sports programs!