Can pricey art worth $5 million turn downtown’s new Tunnel Top Plaza into a hip hangout?
Fort Lauderdale’s about to find out.
A larger-than-life stainless steel seashell sculpture valued at nearly $1 million will soon grace the grounds of downtown’s long-awaited Tunnel Top Plaza, an artificial turf zone that cost taxpayers $10.6 million. And a stylized sculpture of a prancing horse worth nearly $400,000 will be installed before the end of the year.
More art pieces will join them over the next couple years. Each piece will be placed in and around Tunnel Top Plaza, the new public space on Las Olas Boulevard that sits right above the Henry E. Kinney tunnel on Federal Highway.
The art, all donated by the estate of a wealthy benefactor, will not cost taxpayers a dime. More than a year ago, the city accepted the donation of $5 million from the estate of the late James Winder Laird to fund the acquisition, installation and maintenance of public art in the vicinity of Tunnel Top Plaza.
The conch shell, a piece by British artist Marc Quinn that stands over 7 feet tall and weighs more than 5,500 pounds, might be installed as soon as February, says Josh Carden, the city’s Cultural Affairs Officer.
The trustees of Laird’s estate plan to honor his legacy with the acquisition of the horse sculpture by Cuban artist Carlos Luna.
Carden could not yet say when the horse sculpture will be installed.
“The timeline for installation is yet to be determined and is dependent upon engineering, site-work and the permitting process,” he said. “We can estimate by the end of the year.”
Former Mayor Jack Seiler says he’s the guy who came up with the idea for the park, since renamed Tunnel Top Plaza. That was more than a decade ago.
“My thought was to take the entrance to the tunnel as far north as you could take it and create this great park on top,” Seiler told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “I was thinking it would be a little more of a hangout. And it’ll get there. You want people to go there during their lunch hour to read a book or meet a friend.”
Spicing up the space
Mayor Dean Trantalis says he thinks the art will spice up the space and help draw a crowd, helping transform the spot into a trendy hangout.
“It will give a sense of place,” he said. “We’re trying to give it some personality and at the same time respect the memory of James Laird.”
But some doubt the sculptures alone will do the trick.
For now, developer Charlie Ladd falls into the Doubting Thomas camp.
Ladd says he’s worried the spot will become a magnet for the homeless, just as critics predicted.
“It’d be a damn shame to spend millions of dollars to create another big gathering spot for the homeless,” Ladd said. “I’ve gotten texts from people who got photos of homeless people sleeping there. It’s just one or two at this point. If it keeps progressing it’s going to turn into San Francisco, where all the retailers are leaving (partly because of the city’s homeless crisis). Nobody wants that.”
Pretty art pieces may bring people in, but people sleeping on the street might keep them away, Ladd said.
“We’re trying to create a beautiful environment for the thousands of people who walk that street,” he said. “The more attractive and desirable a place is, the better. Having people sleeping on the street is not an inviting environment.”
Ladd says he doesn’t want to see downtown Fort Lauderdale lined with tents, with people sleeping on the streets and urinating on the curb.
Trantalis says that will never happen, not on his watch.
“This is not going to be a campsite for the homeless,” he told the Sun Sentinel. “As we continue to activate the space, our homeless will not find it suitable. There will be too much activity. And homeless folks tend to steer clear of high-traffic areas.”
As for urine on the artificial turf, whether it comes from drunks or dogs, the mayor says that is not the city’s concern.
“These are not the penultimate concerns of the city,” Trantalis said. “The goal is to provide a public space for the entire community. An isolated instance of a homeless person does not mean Armageddon is at our doorstep. Pigeons poop in Piccadilly Circus. What am I supposed to do?”
Plaza with putting green?
Stan Eichelbaum, a downtown resident who heads the group Fort Lauderdale Alliance for Good Government, thinks the art sculptures will bring some gravitas to the spot.
“I don’t think they can hurt,” he said. “Right now there’s a lot of kidding about it’s only a patch of turf and a putting green. Hopefully the sculptures will turn it into a spot with more impact.”
He walks by every day and so far, the area seems clean — though he did spot a dog pooping on the artificial grass a few days ago.
“I mean, it’s going to happen,” Eichelbaum said.
Fort Lauderdale has a responsibility to keep Tunnel Top Plaza safe and clean, Commissioner John Herbst says.
“I think it’s imperative that we make it a destination that’s open and inviting to everybody,” Herbst said. “Everybody is welcome there, whether you’re rich or poor. But we can’t allow this to turn into a homeless encampment. There’s a difference between taking a nap in a public park and living in a public park. It’s a fine line and we have to negotiate that fine line every day. It’s a challenge we face, and that all cities face.”
As for dogs lifting their legs, Herbst says he’s not too worried about that.
“The rain will wash it away,” he said with a chuckle.
Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan