Waiting for the Interurban

Waiting for the Interurban is a 1979 cast aluminum sculpture collection in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle. It is usually located on the south side of N. 34th Street, just east of the northern end of the Fremont Bridge. It consists of six people, to say nothing of the dog , standing under a shelter and waiting for public transportation -- specifically, the Seattle-Everett Interurban. Actually, the six figures would have waited for a very long time, as the Interurban ran on Fremont Avenue and never turned east on 34th.

The sculptor, local resident Richard Beyer, included several subtleties in the sculpture which reward close viewing. There is also some gentle needling of a local Fremont political leader and pioneer in municipal recycling, Armen Napoleon Stepanian. People living and working in the Fremont neighborhood often dress the characters in apparel appropriate to the season (termed "art attacks" by some) to the extent that, when those unfamiliar with the sculpture drive by, it is not always immediately obvious that those standing under the 'shelter' are actually statues.

During the repairs of the Fremont Bridge in 2006-2007, the sculpture was moved about 100 meters east of its usual location, to History House at the corner of N.34th Street and Troll Avenue N.; Troll Avenue runs up a hill to the Fremont Troll. History House also has exhibits showing some of the most imaginative displays by people who have decorated the statues over the years.

In 2008, after the sculpture was returned to the original location, another sculpture was added just down the street. Known as [J.P._Patches#Statue|Late for the Interurban] , the statue portrays 1970's Seattle TV clown [J.P. Patches] and his sidekick Gertrude, running to join the crowd Waiting for the Interurban.

References

*http://www.fremontseattle.com/myths/interedit.htm
*http://www.co.snohomish.wa.us/documents/County_Information/interurban_history.pdf