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The Mystery Of The Brentwood Umbrella Trees
Mysterious, colorful umbrella ornaments were spotted this morning hanging from the trees along the median strip of San Vicente Blvd. near the Brentwood Country Club earlier today. Photos of the trees have appeared on social media, yet no one seems to know who is responsible for hanging the umbrellas or why they're there.
Is it an art project? Commentary on the drought? Guerrilla marketing for a company convinced they can sell lots of umbrellas in sunny L.A.? An homage to Christo?
Hey @LAist & @LATimescitybeat, what's the story behind the #umbrella bit on #sanvicente in #Brentwood? ☔️ #mydayinLA pic.twitter.com/xkQGWcZ1fx
— HWills (@HeidehWilliams) May 21, 2015
The umbrellas were strung up with zip ties to the extremely fragile branches of coral trees, which were planted along the median after the Red Line tracks were removed in the 1940s.
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Strong breezes have been enough to knock down the branches, let alone colorful umbrellas. And if a breeze caught the umbrellas or rain were to fall, neighbors were concerned that the art could damage the trees or harm people jogging or walking beneath them.
Also, there was no permit for the installation, so the umbrellas had to come down...
That's when Daniel Osztreicher stepped in. As the council deputy to councilman Mike Bonin—who represents the 11th district where the umbrellas were—helped remove the umbrellas, despite his appreciation for the colorful artwork.
But don't despair! It seems some inspired neighbors took it upon themselves to hang more umbrellas from the tree in front of their house.
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Thankfully, the umbrellas will live to see another day, but the mystery of who installed them and why, lives on.
If anyone knows, give us a shout or let Councilman Bonin's office know, as they're big fans of public art and would love to see more umbrellas—as long as they're permitted and not hanging from protected trees.
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