"Is that a bird or a plane in the distance? No, it’s Superman”: Metropolis, Illinois and the Hope in Becoming a Destination as Superman’s Hometown, 1972-Present

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dc.contributor.advisorBlair, Melissa
dc.contributor.authorFitzpatrick, Corey
dc.contributor.departmentHistory
dc.contributor.programHistorical Studies
dc.date.accessioned2023-04-05T14:17:15Z
dc.date.available2023-04-05T14:17:15Z
dc.date.issued2022-01-01
dc.description.abstractBy the 1970s, Metropolis, Illinois, a small city on the northern bank of the Ohio River, seemed doomed. The local glove factory had closed down. The commercial infrastructure was crumbling. Locals were leaving in droves. A villain in the form of deindustrialization had taken over. Metropolis needed a hero. But wait, look! Up on the water tower! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s Superman! This theses examines Metropolis, Illinois and its conversion into the "Hometown of Superman” as a case study to gauge the historical viability of tourism as a tool of downtown revitalization in the wake of deindustrialization. But it is one thing to get people to visit Metropolis, Illinois and it is another to get them to stay. This work expands upon the often overlooked roadside attractions beyond the usual examination of their aesthetic quirks and fits it into the social and economic history of the deindustrialized communities that the attractions represent.
dc.formatapplication:pdf
dc.genretheses
dc.identifierdoi:10.13016/m2bopn-n2sm
dc.identifier.other12643
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11603/27339
dc.languageen
dc.relation.isAvailableAtThe University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)
dc.relation.ispartofUMBC History Collection
dc.relation.ispartofUMBC Theses and Dissertations Collection
dc.relation.ispartofUMBC Graduate School Collection
dc.relation.ispartofUMBC Student Collection
dc.sourceOriginal File Name: Fitzpatrick_umbc_0434M_12643.pdf
dc.subjectDeindustrialization
dc.subjectMetropolis Illinois
dc.subjectRoadside Attraction
dc.subjectStatue
dc.subjectSuperman
dc.subjectTourism
dc.title"Is that a bird or a plane in the distance? No, it’s Superman”: Metropolis, Illinois and the Hope in Becoming a Destination as Superman’s Hometown, 1972-Present
dc.typeText
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