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Glassellland Sign May Return Again With City's Blessing
The most recent version of the Glassellland sign (Photo by valli_mark via the Creative Commons on Flickr)
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The Glassellland sign—the Northeast's answer to the original Hollywood sign—may finally return with an official blessing from the city after being removed last year.
The fate of the 10-foot tall plywood sign will be voted on today by city park commissioners to determine if it should be installed for six months on a fence overlooking Glassell Park. Created by local artist Justin Stadel, the on-again-off-again project has been inspiring sleuths since 2013.
Recreation and Parks Department staff recommended approval of the sign as a temporary public art installation, offering the local community of Glassell Park a 'local landmark', according to The Eastsider.
The sign has moved several times over the past years due to permitting issues. And last year building inspectors ordered the signs removal because it violated city signage laws in residential areas. The latest effort—if approved—will be near its previous location on a hillside by Kinney Street, and will be installed, maintained and eventually removed by Stadel.
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Six months may not seem like a long time to go through all of this trouble, but keep in mind that the famed Hollywood sign—which originally included a 'land' suffix, too—was originally installed as a temporary advertisement for a real estate development. An official blessing of the Glassellland sign may just be enough to help make the case for longer term placement.
Unlike the Hollywoodland sign, Glassellland isn't intended for real estate purposes. However, Stadel does see the sign as an important symbol for the city—just a more public and inclusive one. According to the artist's statement on his IndieGoGo page, which helped to raise $3,752 for a prior incarnation of the sign:
This isn't just about Glassell Park. This is about Cypress Park, Eagle Rock, and Atwater Village. This is about LA as a walkable, hackable, discoverable place beyond the freeways and movie screens. This is contextual art.
Want to learn more about the supposed 'history' of the Glassellland sign (as well as tuna sandwich-eating contests, pyrotechnic disasters and bromance)? Enjoy the IndieGoGo campaign video:
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