I don’t know how I missed this, but Nicole Brodeur went ahead and figured out the reason that the already weird pedestrian island surrounded by Denny, Stewart, and Yale had recently gotten a whole lot weirder. A few weeks ago, I wondered why the powers that be had decided that the seemingly perfectly nice deciduous tree in the middle of the concrete island needed to be replaced with a tiny palm tree. With the tropical invader came playroom-inspired sidewalk tiles and transparent plastic flourishes tacked on top of abandoned street signs.

Discussing it with other mystified friends, our most charitable interpretation was that it might be a student art project. It turns out that we were right, sort of. Brodeur took out her reporter’s notebook, waded through several levels of city bureaucracy, and found the real explanation for the $50,000 installation designed by Cornish art students:

The palm tree is the “new, official entryway” into the Denny Triangle neighborhood, [Downtown Seattle Association neighborhood project coordinator Emily] Tsoi said. … Folks waiting for the bus will stand on recycled glass pavers and under lights made of Plexiglas solar panels. The benches will be concrete embossed with smooth pieces of recycled glass, and the walls of the bus shelter will be steel panels engraved with the story of the neighborhood. The whole thing is intended to be a symbol of “the rebirth and growth” of the neighborhood. [times]

Even though I’m not quite sure that I am yet ready to agree with her conclusion — “Anything that rouses you out of your routine, that gives the wind a soothing sound, is welcome downtown. … That palm tree is no longer a puzzle. It’s perfect.” — I am glad to know that the the tree formerly occupying art school island wasn’t removed out of spite, it was just ruining the sidewalk.

(after the jump, google’s satellite view of the intersection prior to the art invasion)

via maps.google.com