People Waiting for the Interurban
Artist
Richard Beyer
MediumCast aluminum
Dimensions6 1/16 x 9 1/16 ft., 2 15/16 in. (185.4 x 276.2 x 7.4 cm)
ClassificationsSculpture
Credit LineGift to the City of Seattle from the Fremont Public Association. Funding was provided by local businesses and community sources and Seattle Arts Commission Artist in the City Program through CETA (Comprehensive Employment and Training Act) funds.
Description: Roughly cast, the muted grey aluminum artwork consists of life size figures of a suited businessman, a woman eating, a student reading, a woman holding a child, a workman with a pail, and a dog with a human face. All are standing, apparently waiting for their ride, beneath a shelter framework that echoes the architecture of the old Seattle to Everett Interurban railroad station that was once located on this site. Community residents often decorate the figures with seasonal clothing or signs celebrating birthdays, holidays, or other special events.
Artist Statement: Fremont grew as a working man's town in the vicinity of this rail head, and because of it there were the schools, the library, the churches, the hotel, the businesses creating the activity and life of the community. With the supersession of the railroad by the automobile, Fremont began a long decline. These people wait for this to turn around. They are hopeful that through their patience and effort the community values they remember can be recreated, and the excesses of 'progress' are coming to an end as the city matures.
Location: Fremont Avenue North & North 34th Street, Seattle WA 98103
