Seattle Press on Line - Roosevelt Builds Identity on a Foundation of Marbles

Roosevelt Builds Identity on a Foundation of Marbles

By Sara Longley

Kevin Spitzer with a marbled utility pole located at the corner of 12th & NE 65th St. Kevin's dog Sofie, an Alapaha bulldog, investigates.

Mar 07, 2001 -- The Roosevelt neighborhood, west of I-5, north of Ravenna Boulevard, south of Maple Leaf and west of Ravenna, will be a lot more recognizable in the future, due to a community-wide art project recently completed by Kevin Spitzer.

Spitzer was chosen from five finalists, and his dramatic marble designs were installed in early February on utility poles throughout the neighborhood.

"They said we could site the project anywhere in the neighborhood," says Spitzer, "but there's no place except the sidewalk." He decided to submit a proposal to clothe neighborhood utility poles in marble mosaics.

The multicolored glass marbles are eye-catching at all hours of the day or night, their round lenses trapping and reflecting light from every angle. "They look really great," says David Barnes, Roosevelt Chamber of Commerce president. "I've seen senior citizens and school kids stop to touch them and talk about them."

There are a total of 14 decorated poles throughout the neighborhood. Every design is different, but their common theme is that of a stylized lighthouse, with patterns of darker marbles forming a tower and brighter shades of yellow and clear glass at the top for the beacon.

A neighborhood celebration and tour of the new art will take place on Thursday, March 29. The tour starts at Bus Stop Espresso. For more information about the project, visit www.dk-studios.com/new.

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