Thursday, June 24, 2010

Shingles and Sawmills


Shingles and Sawmills
Photo & Text © 2010 Kim- Seattle Daily Photo. All rights reserved; no use, alteration, reproduction or republishing in any media.
Did you know that Seattle's Ballard neighborhood was once known as the "Shingle Capitol of the World"? There was an abundance of mills along with thriving fishing and shipbuilding industries on Salmon Bay. The mills are gone, but not a forgotten part of the area's history and are paid homage to in this piece. It is one of eight 10 foot tall and differently themed public art works by Tom Askman and Lea Anne Lake that make up The Ballard Gateway. The lighted sculptures were installed on the north end of the Ballard Bridge in 2003 at a cost of $65,000, removed in February 2006 after severe windstorm damage, repaired and reinstalled in September 2008. The artist's statement describes the eight pieces as : A vibrant series of visual punctuation marks, the Ballard Gateway lines the bridge over which thousands of visitors and residents enter the Ballard neighborhood each day. Enlisting iconographic reminders of Ballard's birth--forests, logging and fishing, boat-building, metal fabrication and Scandinavian motifs, the Gateway celebrates the natural environment, embraces a colorful past, and welcomes confidence in the future.

8 comments:

lewi14@gmail.com said...

A worthy memorial... Great shot, Kim.

Dawning Inspiration said...

Thanks for sharing this info - my Dad worked in Ballard for many, many years and I never knew this. Thank you.

Pat said...

Gee, no, I didn't know! The things you learn blogging. At first glance, this reminds me of a pie crust edger that mutated!

brattcat said...

Excellent post, Kim.

Madeline Mundt said...

Beautiful photo...and interesting info about Ballard.

Anonymous said...

Very painful piece of art to look at!

Peter said...

Beautiful picture, I envy you, Kim!

Hilda said...

The sculptures sound like a great way to celebrate the neighborhood's history, but I wouldn't want this particular piece to fall on me during a windstorm! ;)