Fremont Troll

In 1990 the Fremont Arts Council commissioned a piece of public art for space below the north end of the George Washington Memorial Bridge, as it had become a haunt for antisocial activity. Their pick, by a team of four local artists, was the Fremont Troll – a now iconic sculpture, 5.5 metres tall and composed of 6 tons of reinforced concrete. As a witty touch the troll holds an actual Volkswagen Beetle in its left hand, as if it has just snatched it from the road. The work is designed to be climbed on, and in 2005 the stretch of Aurora Avenue North under the bridge was renamed Troll Avenue in its honour.