"Rapunzel - Seattle, WA" Waymark

Long Description:
Rapunzel looks out longingly from here perch, high in the west tower of the Fremont Bridge. Her long tresses hang down the side of the tower. Here's a little information about the bridge, that crazy Fremont neighborhood, and Rapunzel from the Fremont Chamber of Commerce's Website.

The Fremont Bridge, it is asserted, is the only one in the known universe painted blue and orange. As the story goes, the bridge was primed orange and left to dry— way too long. The orange color grew on Fremonsters. It won their hearts, and their fierce loyalty. By the 80s the orange primer had faded to pasty pink. The city was ready to repaint. Orange, however, was not on the city’s pallet. Unofficial Mayor of Fremont, Armen Stepanian, campaigned, raged, and fumed to have the orange restored. The city responded with a community vote held at the 1985 Fremont Fair. Ballot choices: blue, brown, green and gray - no orange. In protest Armen stormed out of a meeting with city officials. Another meeting was called to consider the color barrier. Irene Ingalls, a talented artist, presented a unique compromise: Call it cobalt and tangerine! De Libertus Quirkas - The Freedom to be Strange, as official a motto for Fremont as official gets here - took over from there. Thus, a cobalt and tangerine bridge - not orange!

Fremont glass artist Rodman Miller, in 1993, proposed an artful addition to the bridge, neon sculptures for the non-operational bridge towers. Rodman selected Grimm’s Rapunzel and Kipling’s Elephant Child for subject matter. Conceived originally as a temporary display for the 1994 Fair, Rodman was led to believe that it would be just as easy to install the work permanently. “Easy” turned out not to be the word. The Transit Department and the Seattle Arts Commission demanded evidence of community support. Rodman persevered. After many tap-dances before the Fremont Arts Council, Fremont Chamber of Commerce, Fremont Business Association, Fremont Neighborhood Association, and King County Landmarks and Heritage Commission, support came, as did funding, through a Small and Simple Grant from the Department of Neighborhoods. The sculptures lit the night for the first time on Trolloween 1995.

Currently Rapunzel's tresses have burnt out. I plan on heading back to Fremont during the day to get a photo that shows her and the bridge better. Until then here are a few Flickr.com photos to check out:

• a close up
• at night
• Rapunzel's tower

Business Name: Fremont Bridge, West Tower Business Type: Other Physical Address: Fremont Bridge, West Tower Seattle, WA USA 98103 Condition of Neon Sign: Partially Working: Most of the neon still lights up, some tubes are broken/missing. Web Address: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Please upload a day & night photo of the sign if possible and tell us about its current condition. Is the neon working? How is the paint wearing?

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   10/27/2009 Moun10Bike visited it 11/14/2007 Hikenutty visited it

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