Linden Street Sculpture

LOCATION: Confluence Entry
CLIENT: Saunders Development, [space]foundry
SCOPE: Concepts through Construction Administration
FABRICATION: Hueber Industries

Sculpture - Evening

Lighting study in Maxwell Render testing internal illumination. Orientation of final sculpture revised.

Early Axonometric Study

Of vision for two-sided sculpture, with translucent laminated glass for internal illumination.

Sculpture - Day

Lighting study in Maxwell Render testing text legibility without internal illumination. Orientation of final sculpture revised.

Sculpture - Evening

Internal illumination test with Maxwell Render. Orientation of final sculpture revised.

Study Models

Of revised sculpture form.

““THE SKY WAS SCARCELY EVER OBSCURED BY CLOUDS, AND ITS VAULTED BLUE, GOLDEN TINTED IN THE MORNING AND EVENING, WAS LIKE A DREAM OF BEAUTY. NOT AN AX HAD MARRED THE SYMMETRY OF THE GROVES OF TREES THAT LINED THE BANKS. NOT A PLOW, OR SPADE, OR HOE HAD EVER BROKEN ITS VIRGIN SOIL. WILD FLOWERS OF THE RICHEST HUE BEAUTIFIED THE LANDSCAPE, WHILE ABOVE ALL TOWERED THE MAJESTIC ROCKY MOUNTAINS TO THE WESTWARD OF THE VALLEY, LIKE THE GRIM SENTINELS THEY ARE, EVER WATCHING, WATCHING AND NOTING THIS ADVANCING VANGUARD OF CIVILIZATION.”
”

— -J.R. Todd, From Ansel Watrous' 'History of Larimer County, Colorado'

Seeking a dynamic art piece that would mark the entry to Confluence, which sits roughly at the center of the namesake military fort that founded Fort Collins, Colorado, [au]workshop undertook the task ourselves.

We went through many iterations of design and value engineering to arrive at the simplest final piece: a waterjet-cut weathering steel sculpture with integrated downlighting. During the evening, the lighting illuminates the text and casts intricate shadows on the pavers to further invite investigation of the piece.

The text describes the impressions one of the Poudre River Valley’s early anglo-european visitors. Ansel Watrous’ (a local historian) 1911 book, “History of Larimer County, Colorado” includes excerpts of a letter sent in 1852 by one J.R. Todd, who was moving west from Iowa. Ansel Watrous’ own writing tends to be somewhat dry and pragmatic, but Todd is expansive on the beauty of the Cache la Poudre river basin.

Speaking directly to the beauty of the river banks, as well as to its relationship with ongoing human development, this passage invites visitors to ponder their place in our shared history.

ARCHITECTS + URBANISTS

Linden Street Sculpture