Silver Root in front of Bellevue’s City Hall is one of the most wonderful sculptures that I’ve seen in a long time. It is an old cedar root harvested in the 1800s, then cast in bronze and plated in silver. It seems as though the piece is having a small technical problem with the reflecting pool not full and orange cones where the recessed lighting is. Dan Corson is the sculptor. His website is here http://dancorson.com/root and shows the sculpture in an intact pool.
Rumor has it that Old City Hall at 625 Commerce Street is haunted by a ghost named Gus.
http://www.ghostsandcritters.com/washingtonghosts.html
The building has a varied history. It was built in 1893 as Tacoma’s City Hall (E.A. Hatherton, Architect) and the original jail cells are still located in the building’s basement. In 1959, City of Tacoma offices moved and the building was vacant until 1969. In the 1970s the building was renovated into shops and restaurants and in 1974 it was placed on the historic register. In the 1980s it was converted into professional offices. I even worked there for a couple of years and enjoyed a water view! In 2005 there was talk of converting the property into condominiums. Thanksgiving week 2010 there was a flood brought on by a broken sprinkler pipe. The property is vacant.
The building has a dedicated website here http://www.thestratfordcompany.com/oldcityhall/
A wonderful post of the building when it was new can be found here http://search.tacomapubliclibrary.org/postcard/postcardfull.asp?db=60#Front
I’ve driven past this sculpture in front of the Lakewood City Hall numerous times, but today I actually got out of my vehicle and took a good look at it. There is a lot going on with this piece, nine figures representing people in the military, a large globe, five benches, signage, inscribed bricks and landscaping. The sculpture honors veterans. Among the large metal figures are a Chaplin, a medical person, a foot soldier with his gun, a mechanic and others. The figures are stylized, but it is still apparent the jobs they represent. The primary construction materials are steel and bronze and the sculpture was completed in May 2003.
Per information provided by the Washington City/County Management Association, The project was spearheaded by the Lakewood Veterans Memorial Committee and reminds us of the sacrifices and services of the local military community. It also serves as a link between Lakewood and the large number of active duty, former and retired military personnel in our community. “More than 96,000 veterans reside in Pierce County with over 10,000 living in Lakewood. The memorial is the creation of Gig Harbor artist and military veteran Jim Mattern. (http://www.wccma.org/newsletter/0304wcmanews.pdf)
Here is the link to a story about the piece.
http://www.komonews.com/news/archive/4093906.html
Jim Mattern: Sculptor
Lakewood Veteran’s Memorial
6000 Main St. SW
Lakewood, WA 98499
