Entry No. 73 — the Chicago file — filed under: roadside-oddity

Nuclear Energy (Henry Moore sculpture)

Henry Moore's 1967 bronze marks the exact spot where Fermi's team triggered the world's first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction under Stagg Field's bleachers in 1942. The bulbous crown was designed to read simultaneously as a mushroom cloud, a skull, and a cathedral dome — it was cast in over 50 pieces in Berlin and welded together like a giant 3-D jigsaw puzzle.

The move: Stand under it on a quiet campus quad and argue about whether it looks more like doom or a dome — it was unveiled December 2, 1967, exactly 25 years to the day after the reaction it commemorates.

• 📍 Hyde Park
• 💸 Free
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Outdoors

Where: Ellis Avenue between 56th and 57th Streets, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637

Hours: Added 2026-07-19 — confirm current hours before you go.

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Further reading: publicart.uchicago.edu · Wikipedia

last checked: 2026-07-19