Gaines Street roundabout to get startling sculpture

Gaines Street roundabout to get startling sculpture

"Gaines Street’s face-lift from a blighted district to a vibrant mix of restaurants, apartments and funky shops will be punctuated by the mother of all exclamation points.
A 20-foot-tall, 18-foot-wide glass sculpture will be featured in a roundabout under construction at Gaines Street and Woodward Avenue, bordering Florida State’s campus. By day, a rainbow of color will shimmer and shift based on the position of sunlight and drivers within the one-lane roundabout.
At night, high-powered LED lights will beam from the sculpture’s inverted cone base into the night sky. Glow from reflections in the clouds will be visible from as far as the Tallahassee Regional Airport.
The image is meant to be an artistic and poetic interpretation of the Seminole spear. As is common with art, other images may surface.
“It was like God is smiling on Gaines Street. For me it had this religious connotation to it,” said Michelle Bono, assistant to the city manager. “Someone else gasped and said, ‘That’s the FSU spear.’ I think that’s what’s cool about art. Different people will interpret different things.”
Master glass artist Kenneth von Roenn, who designs giant, intricate works around the world, came up with the Gaines Street concept. Supporters say it’s an iconic addition to Gaines Street’s landscape and could elevate Tallahassee’s portfolio of public art.
“There was an obvious need for something and this seemed to be an appropriate location,” said Kentucky native von Roenn, designer of the world’s largest glass sculpture — a 500,000-pound piece atop the former Wachovia Bank headquarters in Charlotte, N.C.
“I saw this in the very beginning as the exclamation mark on the statement of what Gaines Street is about,” said von Roenn, who’s work is showcased in San Francisco, San Diego and Russia. “In some ways, it’s not a rebirth but a new birth.”
The 1970 FSU graduate returned to Tallahassee less than a year when he was named director of FSU’s Master Craftsman Studios, located on Gaines Street directly adjacent to the intersection. He said the sculpture presented a design challenge.
It had to embody several traits right off: capture the energy of Gaines Street; be tall enough to be seen from a distance; remain open at the base so as not to obstruct driver vision; change in appearance within the roundabout; have two “readings” with a day and night stature; and showcase an affiliation with FSU without being a literal tie.
Phase III of Gaines Street’s construction began two weeks ago. It costs $1.5 million and will be done in time for FSU and Florida A&M University fall semester starts.
The sculpture is comprised of a stainless steel frame with steel cables supporting triangular glass with multi-hued reflectivity. It’s being built by a 10-member team at the studio and will be complete by the end of the year.
The City Commission on Wednesday approved spending $200,000 to build it at cost and it would have had a $500,000 or more price tag under normal circumstances, von Roenn said.
“It’s going to be something,” said city Public Works Director Gabe Menendez, who said von Roenn brought the idea to officials, who immediately jumped on it.
“It will be subtly changing as you work your way around,” Menendez said. “You’ll see different colors literally. You’ll see it go from yellow, to blue, to green to red or violet or whatever the appropriate color scheme is.”
Even with color changes, Menendez said there’s not a concern it will be too distracting for drivers nor are city officials worried about crashes within the 53.5-foot diameter intersection, which is slightly larger than the 41-foot roundabout at Fleischmann and Miccosukee roads.
Menendez also said the roundabout will not be a pedestrian area where onlookers can snap pictures or selfies in front of the sculpture. However designated corners will provide those opportunities. The sculpture will sit on a 2-foot base so if a crash occurs, a swerving car will only skim the round base and not damage the art.
“We’ll be doing everything we can to discourage it,” Menendez said of crashes.
The city hopes to offset the sculpture’s cost through sponsorships, too, Bono said, so someone’s name can be linked to the art.
“From the standpoint of someone who loves Gaines Street or loves FSU, this is a great sponsorship opportunity,” she said. “We are looking for people who want to be associated with that in a large way.”
While the city has put up extra signs indicating business entrances, some questioned whether there’s a better use of the money that could promote the 17 businesses impacted by Gaines Street construction for the next four months.
Misty Sullivan, owner of Bob’s Auto Repair, the oldest business on Gaines Street, said her shop is down $30,000 so far this month compared to May 2013. She was initially angered by the sculpture’s price tag but she’s since taken to the idea of it.
“They have assured me that there are some good things coming,” Sullivan said. “That remains to be seen, and and we look forward to working with them.”
Gaines Street will be the first place to have art within a roundabout but this could be just the beginning. The FAMU Way Extension, a $37-million project, will have five roundabouts and there are opportunities for public art within them, Menendez said, although stressing no firm discussions are taking place just yet.
Amanda Thompson, interim director for the Council on Culture & Art, called von Roenn a “rock star” in the art industry.
“He has some of the most important sculptures in the country and he also has sculptures outside the country,” she said. “Having him here heading up the Master Craftsman Studio is a boon for Tallahassee and FSU.”
She’s especially looking forward to the big reveal once von Roenn’s vision is ready for viewing.
“The more public art we have in this community, the better we all are,” Thompson said. “I personally want to live in a community that demonstrates its love of art and culture. I think we are very lucky in that both our city and county have made a commitment of supporting art and culture and this is a tangible example of that.”