La Grande Vitesse at Calder Plaza

What’s bright red, weighs 42 tons and has been a popular Grand Rapids photo spot for five decades?

It’s called La Grande Vitesse – a French phrase that translates to “the great swiftness” or “the grand rapids.” But locals tend to refer to it as “The Calder” in deference to the man who created it: Alexander Calder, widely considered one of the most important American sculptors of the 20th century.

In 1967, the city commissioned Calder to create a piece as part of its urban renewal initiative. It was the first public art work to be funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. As is the Grand Rapids way, private funds were raised to cover the balance.

Artistic Inspiration

The finished piece was installed in 1969, in a public plaza surrounded by new city and county buildings. The sculpture arrived in Grand Rapids in a series of enormous crates, and a huge crane lifted the 27 separate sections so they could be bolted into place. The whole process took five days. The space around the sculpture quickly became known as Calder Plaza – and the sculpture itself became a symbol of the city’s artistic spirit.

• La Grande Vitesse sparked interest in other art activities and spurred the development of new art, theater and symphony facilities.
• It inspired the city’s first annual downtown festival, Festival of the Arts, which showcased all different kinds of art from 1970 to 2024.
• Its likeness shows up throughout the city, from official stationery to street signs to garbage trucks, and even the city's official logo. The red color of the logo, adopted in 1982 and designed by local artist Joe Kinnebrew, represents the signature stabile. 
• It’s a popular backdrop for artists exhibiting at ArtPrize, the world’s largest public art event.
• Calder Plaza regularly hosts cultural events such as the city’s Hispanic Festival and Pride Festival, as well as summertime food truck food courts.

50th Anniversary Celebration

La Grande Vitesse turned 50 in 2019 – and Grand Rapids celebrated by restoring the piece to its original splendor. Crews removed 20 layers of paint down to the bare metal, tightened bolts and re-welded connections before repainting the sculpture its signature “Calder Red” color. The anniversary also spurred the city to begin considering a reinvention of Calder Plaza, with a goal to make it more inviting for everyday use in addition to hosting large public festivals. 

Fast Facts

• La Grande Vitesse is 43 feet tall, 54 feet long and 30 feet wide.
• It’s a stabile – a stationary sculpture that uses multiple flat planes to give the appearance of volume and movement.
• The modern design was controversial at first, but was eventually embraced by city residents.
• A scale model at the base of the sculpture allows blind visitors to “see” the Calder in its entirety.
• Provides the perfect photo shot spot with many angles for variety.
• Design and pre-construction work for the reimaging of Calder Plaza began in summer 2025, and is expected to include more green space, more shade, improved entrance points, better accessibility and other amenities.