The better part of a decade has passed since the neighborhood marker for the Grand Central District was taken out by a car, and after years of planning, the beloved St. Pete district has a new welcome for those coming in.
The Grand Central District Association and Executive Director Chris Arnold held ribbon cuttings for two new neighborhood markers this afternoon. The soaring statues flank the westbound entrances to Grand Central, with one each on Central Avenue and 1st Avenue North on the corner of 16th Street.
ADVERTISEMENT
With vibrant blue, pink and yellow hues, the unique statues reflect the artistry and the color of Grand Central, a neighborhood filled with street art, galleries and the homes of local artists. The Central Avenue statue resembles a bird’s plumage, while the 1st Avenue North marker evokes the imagery of a Technicolor palm tree. It’s easy to imagine the former as a strutting peacock and the latter as a tree dancing in the wind, both fitting for a district overflowing with imaginative and colorful murals and street art.
“In the design process, these were made to be an example of the neighborhood, that show our artistic vibes and progressive character,” Arnold said. “I think it really does the job.”
The colorful new markers are also symbolic of the spurt of growth the neighborhood has seen, even since the original welcome marker was knocked down. The once-sleepy corridor has become one of the area’s most popular destinations, and crucially, it has remained an oasis for locals even amid the growth. Artwork standing tall and bright is a proper welcome for Grand Central.
While the District Association has been working on the new markers for nearly five years, the timing of their debut is a boost for those who live in the neighborhood and felt slighted by the mandated removal of the Pride street mural along Central Avenue. More than a few of those in attendance at the ribbon cutting expressed their delight at bringing artistry and color back to Grand Central. It’s a fitting emblem of the neighborhood and its culture ahead of the annual St. Pete Pride festivities returning in June – a celebration that got its start in Grand Central and still has huge events there today.
The project is funded by a CRA grant, and the original call to artists saw around 100 applications from across the country. A selection committee narrowed it down to three artists that it asked for submission ideas, before ultimately picking artist Volkan Alkanoglu and his dual designs now standing today.
Each of the markers is comprised of thousands of individual pieces and they took months to assemble. The end result is the colorful statues now greeting entrants from Downtown and the EDGE District.
Gary Jones, the City of St. Petersburg Economic Development Officer, was part of the Grand Central District’s original formation back in 1999. He was on hand to witness the ribbon cutting on Tuesday, the culmination of a project he watched form over the last five-plus years. He was more than pleased to see them in real life after years of renderings.
“I think when you see these pieces of art, they say, ‘We are Grand Central,'” he said. “This is what Grand Central is.”
