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Capitol Hill’s streetcar art poles attracting street art at record pace

cover-400Surprising nobody, the “art poles” marking soon-to-be streetcar stops along Broadway have become — for reals — art poles. Or, to be more exact, street art poles.

Working at a furious pace, taggers are reportedly making regular contributions to the rich artistic culture of the neighborhood with daily defacements of the beaded structures designed by artist Claudia Fitch. Most are ego-driven branding. Some are witty. Some are dirty. For now, all of it is being cleaned off.

CHS has learned that CleanScapes, the company contracted by the Broadway improvement district for tidying up the area, has been asked to clean the poles every day in an attempt to keep the streetcar markers unmarked — another reason to expand the improvement district?

It’s not clear how long the solution will last, though, as CleanScapes isn’t technically supposed to touch the City of Seattle property. Perhaps “art pole” needs to be the next category added to Find It, Fix It.

(Image: @gordowerner via Twitter)

(Image: @gordowerner via Twitter)

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Alexjon
Alexjon
10 years ago

There is nothing wholesome about any of this internet website posting, “Capitol Hill Seattle CHS” “Blog”. This is filth. FILTH.

Cancel my subscription and have a good day, sir.

M.C.Barrett
M.C.Barrett
10 years ago
Reply to  Alexjon

I can only surmise this “Alexjon” is some kind of blind-indignation-tantrum-bot. That, or I’m missing the joke here.

evon
evon
10 years ago
Reply to  Alexjon

Shoo, troll. Go back under your bridge.

sojohnative
10 years ago

I figured this would be happening and on my walk and was noticing how it might be fairly easy to put a couple of cameras up on the SCC building, next to the pole, and catch the little buggers on film.

Gordon Werner
Gordon Werner
10 years ago

At least the vandals were nice enough to pick a silver color that matched with that of the poles themselves

Sean
Sean
10 years ago

Oh, I see the 25 year olds living with mom are making it to these new poles on their skateboards to tag them. How nice…

Joseph Singer
Joseph Singer
10 years ago

All this effort on the new “art” poles and none on the ongoing trashing of Capitol Hill neighborhoods with gawdawful utility pole trash. There was a sketch on the series Portlandia of someone putting up a lost cat notice and immediately someone plasters over that with _their_ band notice followed by the cat notice again followed by the band’s poster again. It was kind of funny in the Portlandia sketch. In the real situation it looks like cråp.

jc
jc
10 years ago
Reply to  Joseph Singer

So, dingy gray utility poles are appealing to you?

calhoun
10 years ago
Reply to  Joseph Singer

I agree that postering has resulted in a trashy look to many of our streets. Almost all the posters are illegal (in various ways, according to City regulations), but no one is being held accountable and the City makes no effort to clean them up.

And yes, jc, gray poles are preferable to the mess that we see today, with thick stacks of old posters rotting and often littering our streets. There are other ways to add character to a streetscape…postering is not one of them.

R
R
10 years ago
Reply to  calhoun

I assure you that you are in the minority here. Most people on the hill don’t mind or actively welcome postering on the hill.

Jim98122x
Jim98122x
10 years ago
Reply to  R

I think are wrong, R. Lots of people tolerate the papering but don’t like it.

calhoun
10 years ago
Reply to  R

R: How do you know this? Have you done a poll? What you really mean is that of the 10 friends you have talked to about this issue, 6 of them are pro-postering. Hardly a valid sample.

RainWorshipper
RainWorshipper
10 years ago

I noticed that earlier on a walk. I hope they keep cleaning them and/or they find a way to stop tagging. They are pretty but not with graffiti on them. There’s far too much graffiti in the neighborhood as it is–it makes it look trashy.

yo
yo
10 years ago

but analbead art is okay? oh cap hilllllll

CDresident
CDresident
10 years ago
Reply to  yo

hehehe..hm. the first thing i thought of when i saw these going up was.. looks like an anal toy – and im not even a partaker but geez! maybe like Berlin we should embrace the new surfaces and perhaps apply some real art to the balls.

MikeH
MikeH
10 years ago

F**k the disrespectful taggers

AndYouAreSuprised?
AndYouAreSuprised?
10 years ago

Solution: Remove the bottom “bead.” Why wasn’t this thought of in the design phase??

evon
evon
10 years ago

So they’ll just permanently contract a company to clean them from now on? How much will that add up to? Better solution: take off the lower beads so taggers can’t reach them so easily.

It is not yours to paint.
It is not yours to paint.
10 years ago

In addition to constantly painting it out. The punishment for graffiti needs to be severe. I mean really severe because nothing is a deterrent for these graffiti vandals. In other countries they cut off your hand for theft and it works as a deterrent to thievery. Or the victimization will continue to the tune of millions in paint, time and suffering.

Michael H
Michael H
10 years ago

So R you call this trashing of public property posturing! Lets just call it ugly vandalism and senseless graffiti. I have see why too much of this here on the hill and in the city. It is just costly property damage. So take your gang banging graffiti elsewhere. Or better yet just let the SH1T HEADS scrawl and paint there senseless crap on your body. But you probably paid your own money to have some unsightly ugly tattoos inked on you already.

People
People
10 years ago

These poles look like anal beads.

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