by Kirby Lindsay Laney
This column originally appeared in April 2007, published at Fremont.com, the Fremont Chamber of Commerce website.
Within the magical land of Fremont, in the long shadow cast by the Aurora Bridge, a Troll hunkers. One silver eye glistens menacingly while the other remains indistinguishable beneath a broad fall of matted hair. In his retreat from the loud, inconsequential human bustle he had, with fingers long, jointed and nimble, snatched a tasty morsel to snack upon. From amidst the unceasing clatter of vehicles trundling overhead he’d grasped a particularly plump VW Bug. He had just begun to withdraw into the dim recesses of the Bridge, alone with his misanthropic mutterings, when a mysterious spell turned him to stone. No one knows the exact cause of his frozen fate, or how we might break the spell over our anti-social gatekeeper.
Where is the Troll?
The Fremont Troll glowers from beneath the northern terminus of the Aurora Bridge (Hwy 99/George Washington Memorial Bridge) on North 36th Street. When the Bridge opened in 1932, the few blocks that remained of the original road that led down to Lake Union, and now lay beneath the highway, continued to be called Aurora. In 2005, Mayor Greg Nickles responded to community appeal – and to that of map makers and emergency vehicles – to officially change of this scrap of road to Troll Avenue North.
What is the Troll?
The Fremont Hysterical Marker on the Troll says it is “made from rebar steel, wire and 2 tons of messy ferro-concrete.” Led by sculptor Steve Badanes, a team of artists (Will Martin, Ross Whitehead, and Donna Walter) conceived of the Troll. They built the sculpture, with the help of Fremont Arts Council members, in about 7 weeks, between September and Thanksgiving of 1990.
The sculpture does include an actual Volkswagen Beetle. Unfortunately, vandals flattened tires, broke windows and repeatedly caused extensive damage. After destruction of the time capsule once carefully stored inside, Fremont Arts Council members filled the car with concrete to discourage further destruction or injury.
How did the Troll come to Fremont?
The real impetus for the Troll came from the Fremont Arts Council, and Barb Luecke. In 1989 the space under the Bridge, due in part to confusing ownership as the land belongs both to the City and to the State Highway system, had become a magnet for detritus – rats, garbage, syringes, abandoned tires and the inevitable, unavoidable dust of the roadway above.
The FAC held a national competition to install art at this site. They reviewed 40 proposals before narrowing the selection down to three finalists. These artists received $500 each to build model replicas of their concepts for judging by attendees at the 1990 Fremont Street Fair. The Troll concept wasn’t one of those three. Two proposals, one of them the Troll, were invited to build and submit models of their ideas – without funding. At the Fair, “the troll was the runaway favorite,” according to Art Brochet, and won the vote of the people six-to-one.
Luecke reportedly stated (Seattle Times, May 15, 1990) that “local sculptors appeared to capture the needs of the area better than those submitted by out-of-town artists.” Certainly Steve Badanes admits the idea for placing a troll in the space came fifteen seconds after he arrived at the site.
How has the Troll affected the neighborhood?
The Troll sits beneath a State Highway but surrounded by blocks of residential homes, apartments and condominiums. The Troll installation initially came as salvation to residents after decades of disuse and abuse in this once blighted lot. However, visitor noise and traffic have occasionally turned a pleasing whimsy into an irritating nuisance so please, when you visit, be considerate of those who live nearby.
Some accommodation of the Troll, and discouraging of the former uses of his home, took place long after the artists left. In 1994, Past President of the Fremont Chamber, Phill Briscoe, dedicated himself to assisting the FAC install a long-promised and much needed light above the Troll. City and State bureaucracy, as well as funding for electric bills, had made acquisition of a simple amenity into an arduous crusade. After the light came fences and barriers behind the Troll’s head to discourage squatters and junkies, and then a modified traffic circle too shallow to obstruct cars but too round to be a speed bump.
Can I take a photo?
At one time Troll artists sued a local business for using a photo of the Troll in their advertising materials. Badanes says the artists hold a copyright for the troll’s image, and they object to use of the image for commercial purposes without permission. While it appears a standard copyright matter, confusion still exists as to what constitutes acceptable uses of Troll imagery. Also, this is only one troll in a long history of trolls. Which troll images are protected?
Where have I seen the Fremont Troll outside of Fremont?
He has appeared in photos in national magazines and newspapers, including in People, and in the 1999 movie 10 Things I Hate About You. In the film the Troll is clean (dust naturally falls from the highway and contributes to the Troll’s malevolent appearance), freshly painted grey and covered in ivy. The VW is a shiny red. The film crew removed the ivy before they left, and members of the FAC complained. So, the crew returned, painted the car grey and re-covered the Troll in dust.
What is Trolloween? When is the Troll’s birthday?
Trolloween does not officially exist. If you visit the Troll on his birthday, the night of October 31st, and find yourself amidst a meandering crowd of merry makers, no need to rub your eyes or pinch yourself. Enjoy the folly and celebration, the exuberance and the transitory energy. Widely acclaimed but never officially sanctioned, this event exists only in the memories of those who’ve attended, and remember, you didn’t hear about it from me.
What should I look for when I visit?
Turn around. After standing, trading glares with the Troll in all his ferocious glory, turn around and look down Troll Avenue toward Lake Union. This view is called the Hall of Giants (a Seattle Times article from 1990 refers to it also as the Fremont Cathedral). Aurora Bridge designer Ralph Ober, of the Seattle engineering firm of Jacobs and Ober, obviously considered both form and function in his design and the geometric symmetry of this sweeping vista is a triumph of art as well as engineering.
FAC members have discussed ways to use more art to enhance or draw attention to the beauty of the Hall of Giants, but for now it remains an oft-overlooked man-made marvel.
How has the Troll enjoyed his stay?
One does have to wonder how irksome the Troll must find the children who climb on his head and the lovers who kiss literally under his nose. Many courageous visitors position themselves within the grasp of his curled fingers, apparently unaware that whatever spell cast him in stone could lift as suddenly as it fell, and turn enthralled visitors into his victims.
Or, maybe not. In 1998, when freak circumstances led a Metro bus to crash through the railings on the Aurora Bridge, it wrecked at the foot of the Troll. For weeks a single tear lay upon the Troll’s otherwise sinister visage. I believe it a sign that Fremont has once again worked its magic and slowly melted the once stony heart inside our beloved neighbor.
If you have any information to add, please contact instigator@fremocentrist.com If you want more information, and hear from many of the people involved in the installation of one of Seattle’s most popular icons, look for an opportunity to see the documentary, ‘Hall Of Giants: The Story Of Fremont and Its Troll,’ by Michael Falcone.
©2013 Kirby Lindsay. This column is protected by intellectual property laws, including U.S. copyright laws. Reproduction, adaptation or distribution without permission is prohibited.