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The Fremont Troll is a really interesting art installation under a bridge near the north end of town. Under the George Washington Memorial Bridge. I sadly just learned that it was intended as hostile architecture, meaning it was built with the intention of deterring homeless people from camping here. However at least it is an interesting piece of art. It was erected in 1990 after easily winning a contest from the Arts Council earlier that year. It was intended to become a cultural icon. I think they were successful in that, as well, we and quite a number of other people came to see and take pictures of it.
Time 10 - 20 minutes depending on how much you want to explore, or how busy it is.
Cost: Free
See, it is pretty neat.
The Fremont Troll was designed and built by Steve Badanes, Will Martin, Donna Walter and Ross Whitehead. with help from the community. The Fremont Arts Council sponsored the project, which hoped to build a greater sense of place in the neighborhood through art, and with stronger community. the troll was selected in an open competition in which the community voted on proposals designed by four finalists. Many volunteers helped prepare the site and create the ferro-cement sculpture. Support came from time, money and in-kind donations by the community, and a grant from the Seattle Neighborhood Matching Funds Program. Maintenance is provided by Fremont Arts Council and you. Please leave the site cleaner than you found it.
Such a neat sculpture.
It’s cool from this angle.
From the side, with the bridge.
There appears to be a walking path through Trolls Knoll Forest. We decided to check that out.
Turtle crossing sign. Does Seattle have a lot of turtles? Or is it part of the art piece I am going to see next?
It’s a pretty path.
Moss Turtle. This is a fairly new art installation installed in 2020. Designed by artist Michiko Tanaka and fabricated by Mach 2 Arts. The plan is/was to fully cover it in moss eventually and allow visitors to help keep the moss alive by spritzing it.
Some boxed gardens.
We started encountering some tents so we decided we should head back. There doesn’t appear to be much more to it though.
The other side of Moss Turtle.
We had to finagle around through the railing to get to these steep steps.
Back to the troll.
It’s neat.
From the other side.
With us, for size.
The troll is 18 feet high, weighs 13,000 pounds and is made of steel, wire, rebar and concrete.
The steep stairs again.
The other direction of the Washington Memorial Bridge.
In 2005 the section of Aurora Blvd under the bridge from here down to 34th street was renamed Troll Ave.
The troll with the Troll Ave sign.
One last shot before our Uber picked us up.
I don't think it is worth coming out to the end of town for only this, but we had a couple things we wanted to see out this way and it was a good way to end the day. It is a really neat piece of art worth checking out.
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