Entry No. 28 — the Chicago file — filed under: roadside-oddity
Eye Care Indian (Muffler Man)
A fiberglass 'Indian Brave' muffler man stands on the flat roof of a low storefront, peering down Pulaski Road with bulging ping-pong-ball eyes and a pair of oversized eyeglasses added during the years an eye clinic occupied the building. Installed sometime in the 1960s or '70s, the giant has outlasted the businesses below him: first a cigar shop, then the Midwest Eye Clinic, and now a dental office. The clinic's old 'Eye Can See Now' sign came down around 2025, but the bespectacled giant stays put.
The story
You didn't hear it from us, but the South Side has its own bespectacled guardian keeping watch over traffic on Pulaski Road. Manufactured in the 1960s or '70s by International Fiberglass out of Venice, California, this fiberglass 'Indian Brave' statue landed on the flat roof of a low storefront at 6254 South Pulaski. He originally stood guard above a cigar shop, staring out across West Lawn without any corrective lenses.
When Midwest Eye Clinic took over the storefront, the owners clamped a pair of oversized black-framed glasses over his bulging ping-pong-ball eyes to transform the roadside giant into an optometry billboard. The clinic added an 'Eye Can See Now' sign that stayed up until around 2025, and the space eventually transitioned into a dental office. His rooftop sign and the feather in his hair are long gone, but the giant stays put, wearing his prescription frames long after the eye doctors moved out.
What it's like
Treat this as a quick roadside pull-over rather than an afternoon-long destination. Park across Pulaski Road or pull up to the public sidewalk to frame your shot looking up at the parapet. Because he stands on the flat roof of an active dental office, there is no building access or roof ladder for visitors; you are here purely for a curb-side view. Hit the spot during golden hour when the low sun lights up the fiberglass face, and snap your photo from the public sidewalk.
The move: Drive to the South Side at golden hour, park across Pulaski, and take turns doing the Wayne's World headbang for a photo under the bespectacled giant.
📍 Before you go It's a rooftop statue on a private building viewed from the street; no entry, best from the public sidewalk on Pulaski.
- 📍 West Lawn / Chicago Lawn
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: 6254 S. Pulaski Rd, Chicago, IL 60629
Hours: Added 2026-06-23 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Fleetwood Roller Rink — Drive four miles west to Summit to keep the retro South Side momentum going on Fleetwood's original 1957 maple floor.
- The Spindle (Car Kebab) at Paisan's — Head five miles northwest into Berwyn to see Pete G's restored car-kebab monument at Paisan's.
- Resurrection Cemetery (Resurrection Mary) — Drive less than six miles west down Archer Avenue to inspect the iron gates associated with Chicago's most famous ghost story.
- Gulliver in Wonderland (Hector Duarte's House) — Head six miles north to Pilsen to trade a rooftop fiberglass giant for a mural-wrapped house depicting a giant tied down by ropes.
Good to know
Can you go inside the building or get onto the roof?
No. The statue stands on the flat roof of a private building currently operating as a dental office. Viewing is restricted to the public sidewalk along Pulaski Road.
Why is the statue wearing giant eyeglasses?
The oversized frames were mounted to the statue when the Midwest Eye Clinic occupied the building to serve as an eye-catching advertisement for the practice.
What businesses have occupied the building beneath the statue?
The storefront originally housed a cigar shop, followed by the Midwest Eye Clinic, and later became a dental office.
Was this statue in Wayne's World?
Yes, the giant made a brief appearance in the opening sequence of the movie Wayne's World, back when he still had a feather in his hair.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Roadside America · sillyamerica.com · usagiants.com · Yelp
last checked: 2026-06-23