GERTIE’S GHOST/TACOMA GATEWAY
Sound Transit’s Percent for Art Program commissioned Gertie’s Ghost (2013) as a site-responsive gateway artwork complementary to its renovated commuter rail extension. Lead Artists Sean Orlando and David Shulman developed the sculpture in conversation with community stakeholders.
Gertie’s Ghost is inspired by classic railroad truss bridges and the mythical 600-pound octopus said to dwell in the submerged ruins of the Tacoma Narrows bridge. Eight octopus tentacles rise out of the ground; an abstract representation of the “Ghost of Galloping Gertie” climbing straight out of the city’s historical roots and into the future.