Jesse Owens Olympic Oak Plaza

University Circle Inc., DERU Landscape Architecture, and local artist Angelica Pozo worked in collaboration with the Owens family and the surrounding community on plans for the plaza. The public art installations include four memorial markers and a podium seat wall, that evokes the idea of a winner’s stand. The memorial markers are installed along an existing 200-meter loop around the tree and honor the legacy of Jesse Owens, highlighting his life before the Olympics, Olympic history, and post-Olympic experience- acknowledging his accomplishments as well as his struggles against racism. The podium seat wall features two quotes from Jesse Owens, reflecting on the importance of working hard toward your dreams and the invisible battles that we all face. The artwork also features dreams and invisible battles shared by the community.

Support for this project has been generously provided by the Holden Parks Trust, CircleWalk, and Cuyahoga County.

Project partners include DERU Landscape Architecture, Angelica Pozo, and F. Buddie Contracting.

The Jesse Owens Olympic Oak tree was planted on Arbor Day 2021 through a partnership between the City of Cleveland, Cleveland City Council, Cleveland Metropolitan School District, Holden Forests & Gardens, Holden Parks Trust, Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation, Famicos Foundation, and University Circle Inc.

The tree is genetically identical to one of the four trees awarded to Jesse Owens for his four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. It was propagated from the original Jesse Owens Olympic Oak Tree at Rhodes High School, which is the only confirmed location of one of these beautiful legacy trees.