Fremont Troll

The Fremont Troll (also known as The Troll, or the Troll Under the Bridge) is a public sculpture in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle, Washington in the United States.

 Plaque for the sculpture

In 1990, the Fremont Arts Council launched an art competition for the area under the bridge with the intent to construct hostile architecture to deter the presence of "rodents, mattresses, beer cans, [and] guys sleeping" there, believing that the solution to the issue was "having a piece of art" instead.[citation needed] The piece, built later that same year, easily won the competition, and was meant to become a cultural icon of the city from its conception.[1] The vote in favor of the "funky" troll was also motivated of concerns about increased development in Fremont, including numerous large apartment buildings and an office park, urbanizing the largely residential neighborhood.[2]

The construction of the troll provoked immediate complaints from homeless people who previously lived under the bridge, and in 1991, just a year after it was erected, neighbors funded powerful floodlights to deter squatters and "late-night revelers" from acts of vandalism targeting the troll's beard and hair,[3] as well as the continued dumping of trash around it by homeless people who used to live there.[4] Despite the intent of the arts council, the sculpture has periodically been the target of vandalism,[1] although local activists have made efforts to clean graffiti on a regular basis,[5] and the city of Seattle has swept homeless encampments adjacent to the sculpture following repeated drug overdoses in January 2019;[6] from January to mid-May alone, the city received 28 complaints about needles or homelessness within a block of the sculpture.[7]

In 2005, the segment of Aurora Avenue North under the bridge, running downhill from the Troll to North 34th Street was renamed "Troll Avenue" in honor of the sculpture.[8] In 2011 the Fremont Arts Council licensed a Chia Pet based on the Fremont Troll that was sold at a local drug store chain.[9]>

The stairway leading to the top of the sculpture was rebuilt in September 2023 using funds from the Move Seattle levy; the Troll is planned to be surrounded by more vegetation planted by volunteers the following month.[10]

^ a b Lacitis, Erik (May 30, 2004). "Artist was trolling for icon status when he created Fremont Troll". Seattle Times. ^ Nelson, Robert T. (September 30, 1990). "Stuff Of Legends: Fremont Erecting Funky Troll Sculpture". Seattle Times. ^ "Fremont Troll Gets The Light Of His Life". Seattle Times. March 5, 1991. ^ Henderson, Diedtra (February 22, 1991). "Hideous Times For Fremont Troll -- Vandals Damaging Under-Bridge Sculpture". Seattle Times. ^ Lacitis, Erik (September 11, 2021). "Painting over Seattle's graffiti is a game of whack-a-mole. The taggers have won". Seattle Times. ^ Davila, Vianna (March 23, 2019). "City removes homeless camp near Seattle's Fremont Troll that was site of overdoses". Seattle Times. ^ Boiko-Weyrauch, Anna (August 7, 2019). "Photos of 'needles' sent to Seattle's Find It Fix It app. (Spoiler: many aren't needles)". KUOW. ^ Gilmore, Susan (July 9, 2005). "Street may be rechristened for Fremont Troll". The Seattle Times. Seattle, Washington: Frank A. Blethen. ISSN 0745-9696. OCLC 9198928. Archived from the original on September 19, 2009. Retrieved March 20, 2011. ^ "The Fremont Troll becomes a Chia pet". Seattle's Big Blog. October 19, 2011. Retrieved March 3, 2018. ^ Baruchman, Michelle (September 26, 2023). "This feature at Seattle's Fremont Troll just got a makeover". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
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