The Wards Corner Public Art Program committee worked with Gordon Huether to develop a concept that embraces local identity, fosters a strong sense of place and creates a significant gateway for the City of Norfolk. The installation is made up of two components: (1) a bird-like structure inspired by the famed intersection where Alfred C. Ward once operated his iconic general store, and (2) a polished aluminum base. The large bird-like structure made of a translucent polycarbonate material has wing like components and features an enlarged black and white aerial photograph of the Wards Corner intersection taken by a staff member of the Virginian Pilot in 1956. Mounted atop an eleven-foot tall aluminum base, the structure is tilted causing the ‘Wings’ to point toward the sky. Wards Corner Gateway is illuminated at night with programmable color-changing lights.
“Wards Corner Gateway” and its upward orientation references the neighborhood’s future: its continued upward growth and development in cultural, economic and community matters. The installation enables all viewers, whether local or visiting, an opportunity to pause and reflect on the continued positive and exciting changes taking place in the neighborhood.
The sculpture is located in the median on Granby St near North Shore Rd.
