A New Look for the Spartan Statue

Michigan State University and the Spartan Statue go hand in hand. Whether you're a first-year student visiting campus, a graduate celebrating commencement, alumnus, faculty or just a general MSU fan, chances are you've stopped to take a photo with Sparty.

The Spartan Statue is one of the university's most recognizable landmarks and a favorite “photo-op” location. Standing tall at 9 feet, 7 inches (approximately 10.5 feet including its brick base), the statue is widely known for watching over campus and its residents. A symbol of strength and unity, a warrior standing guard for over 80 years.  

Located at the center of campus along Chestnut Road and Kalamazoo Street, the statue overlooks the Red Cedar River with Demonstration Hall in the background. The statue itself is surrounded by blooming crabapple trees, complemented by bricks around the perimeter and grass located directly in front.  

Around the first days of school, you’ll often see a line of prospective students and their families line up along that brick path to get their iconic picture with the statue. During spring graduation, a similar line forms as one of the last stops for graduates looking to capture a milestone memory.

But with popularity comes wear and tear.

The Landscape Services crew at IPF take extra special care of the statue, making sure it’s well kept and even providing a deep cleaning twice a year. And each year, hundreds of students – their friends, families, pets and everyone in between – walk on that turf.

Because it’s one of MSU's most recognizable and photographed locations, the turf requires frequent replacement and preventative maintenance care with “Keep Off Grass” signs and chain fencing, impacting both the appearance and usability of the space.  

While those measures help protect the landscape, it’s somewhat of a temporary fix.

To address the ongoing maintenance, the accessibility and aesthetics on the area itself, The Campus Landscape Stewardship Committee (CLSC) approved a landscape enhancement project for the Spartan Statue area, replacing a portion of the turf with brick pavers.  

And the project was more than a visual upgrade. It represented a long-term approach to creating a more resilient landscape that can better withstand heavy foot traffic while reducing ongoing maintenance needs. Removing the "Keep Off Grass" signs and fencing help make Sparty more welcoming than ever. 

While the project introduces a more durable surface around the Spartan Statue, preserving the character of the space remains a priority. In fact, Landscape Services maintains a special variety of turf known as "Sparty grass," grown exclusively for the area. Rather than letting that turf go to waste, the grass removed during construction is carefully saved to be reused in future campus landscaping projects.

The Spartan Statue has seen generations of Spartans over the years. With these enhancements, the space surrounding the landmark will be better equipped to welcome the thousands of visitors who gather there each year.  

And while the landscape may be changing, one thing remains the same: a photo with the warrior will continue to be a cherished MSU tradition.