Welcome Monument Is Installed
Years of hard work to design and create a Welcome Monument for the North Loop are finally coming to fruition at a time when we all need some positive signs. Sculptor James Brenner arrived with a crane operator this morning to install his 13-foot 2,500-pound sculpture which commemorates the industrial history of the neighborhood with a nod to its colorful and vibrant present.
Colorful lights will glow from behind sculpted glass in the steel I-beams that make up the sculpture. About 1,000 LED lights have been installed and will be programmed to alternate slowly from one color to the other.
The monument is in a highly visible location at 3rd and Washington Avenues, where drivers enter and exit Interstate 394. “I hope it becomes kind of a centerpiece, a beacon, icon for this area,” said Brenner.
Several board members of the North Loop Neighborhood Association worked to help design and raise money for the project. Of the three proposals offered at our 2019 annual meeting, residents chose Brenner’s design.
We want to thank these businesses and individuals for contributing to the monument:
Xcel Energy
For more updates on what’s happening in the North Loop, check our News Section.
By Mike Binkley, North Loop Neighborhood Association