Pat 'n Jim guard Patten Gym at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois just north of Chicago.

MacNeil’s “Pat and Jim” were recently remembered as a play place.

"Physical Development" or "Jim," for short, achieves victory over his opponent in front of Patten Gym at Northwestern University.

“We used to climb on them,” Cindy told me yesterday. Cindy explained how as a child she would climb up from the back “Jim” to sit on his shoulders. Her perch atop this eight foot tall bronze athlete must have delighted both the little girl and the 40-something woman who now walked across Sheridan Road to inform me of her childhood game.

At the time I was photographing “Jim,” more correctly, “Physical Development,” as MacNeil titled the piece in 1916.For the last 94 years, “Jim” has stood outside Patten Gym on the northern edge of the Northwestern University campus in Evanston, Illinois.

His nearly century long vigil has been shared by his partner piece, “Pat,” or more correctly, “Intellectual Development,” as the companion sculpture was named. For a previous story on these two works go to this “Patten Gym” posting.

As quickly as Cindy appeared, she quickly went on to her next destination. I wish I had gotten her full name and photo to post here.   I have found no previous MacNeil enthusiasts who have successfully climbed one of his  sculpture.  I suppose children are more welcome than we  adults.

"H. A. MacNeil 1916" ~ The sculptor's signature and date on the base of "Pat," a.k.a. "Athletic Development"

While the abstract themes of “Physical and Intellectual Development” were what the campus designers envisioned and what Hermon A. MacNeil delivered in the “Beaux Arts,” style, the two classic Greco-Roman figures of athlete accomplishment and scholarly wisdom were soon to receive more manageable “nicknames.” As a previous post on this website suggests:

Northwestern students, however, have given them the ‘very punny’ nicknames of “Pat and Jim” or more colloquially, “Pat’nJim.”  The similarity to “Patten Gym” is quite amusing.  Such whimsy may have been known by MacNeil in his day.  His choice of the ‘tortoise and the hare’ pair on the Supreme Court pediment document his own whimsy in stone.    Let us all smile as well!

"Pat" or "Intellectual Development" holds a septer bearing the initial "N," as in Northwestern, with the owl poised for flight in front of Patten Gym.

The Northwestern University website tells the story in this way:

In the building’s early years its entranceway was ornamented with pure gold plating, and in 1917 Patten commissioned artist Hermon MacNeil to design statuary appropriate to an atmosphere of athletic aspiration. MacNeil responded with bronze figures of a man and a woman. The statues have been known to generations of students by the fond nicknames of “Pat” and “Jim.” When in 1939 Northwestern planned the construction of the Technological Institute, it was clear that the Patten Gymnasium would have to be moved to accommodate the new engineering building. Subsequently a decision was made to demolish the structure and construct a new gymnasium, also to be named for James Patten. One of the most important events held in the building during its final year was the first NCAA basketball tournament, on March 27, 1939, where the University of Oregon Ducks beat the Ohio State Buckeyes by a score of 46-33.

The vanquished opponent falls in defeat.

The companion figure to "Intellectual Development"

The original Patten Gymnasium was razed on April 1, 1940. MacNeil’s statues were retained and today grace the entrance of the present Patten Gymnasium, dedicated during Homecoming on November 2, 1940.

The art was completed by Hermon A. MacNeil in 1916. These Northwestern commissions were completed in 1916, the same year as the minting of the first Standing Liberty Coin (click to see more).

It was a busy period in MacNeil’s career.

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