- Fremont Troll
The Troll, also known as the Fremont Troll or the Troll Under the Bridge, is a piece of whimsical
public art in the Fremont neighborhood ofSeattle, Washington in theUnited States .The idea of a
troll living under abridge is derived from theScandinavia n folk tale "Three Billy Goats Gruff ."The Troll is a
mixed media megalithic statue, located on N. 36th Street at Troll Avenue N., under the north end of the Aurora Bridge. Aurora Avenue North was renamed "Troll Avenue" in its honor in 2005. Despite its name, the Troll is not under the nearby Fremont Bridge. It is clutching an actualVolkswagen Beetle , as if it had just swiped it from the roadway above. The vehicle had a California license plate. [http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2236]The piece was the winner of a competition sponsored by the
Fremont Arts Council in 1990, and was built the same year. The Troll was sculpted by four local artists: Steve Badanes, Will Martin, Donna Walter, and Ross Whitehead. He is interactive—visitors are encouraged to clamber on him or try to poke out his one good eye (ahubcap ). The Troll is 5.5 m high, weighs two tons (1814 kg), and is made ofsteel rebar , wire, and ferroconcrete. The artists have chosen to exercise their copyright to control commercial use of Troll images, however, postcards, beer, and other products approved by the artists are commercially available and use is free to non-profit organizations.In
1998 , Silas Garfield Cool, a mentally ill individual, shot and killed Mark McLaughlin, a Metro bus driver, as he was driving his bus over the Aurora Bridge, causing the bus to crash through the railing onto an apartment building some 12 meters below, directly across the street from the Troll. Cool fatally shot himself in the head after firing on McLaughlin. [http://www.seattleweekly.com/news/9910/features-anderson.php] Herman Liebelt, 69, died as a result of the accident and 32 other passengers were injured. The Troll became an impromptu memorial site for the victims of the crash; mourners left flowers, notes, and mementos at its base. For a time, the Troll sported a single paper tear below his left eye.ee also
*
Waiting for the Interurban External links
* [http://www.fremontartscouncil.org/ Fremont Arts Council]
* [http://www.arfarfarf.com/troll/ Artists Republic of Fremont]
* [http://www.fremontseattle.com/urb_frameset.htm Fremont Chamber of Commerce: Urban Myths - The Fremont Troll]
* [http://www.gosleepgo.com/guide/us/wa/seattle/fremont-troll Fremont Troll] at GoSleepGo
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
