SCHANTZ
Schantz Avenue Bridge
2017-2021, Kettering, OH
Vicki Scuri SiteWorks with Alexandr Polzin
Engineers: IBI Group
Sponsored by the City of Kettering
This project transforms an otherwise standard security fence on a bridge near the entry to Kettering into a city gateway marker that can be experienced both entering and leaving the City. This project is inspired by the “can do spirit” of Kettering, the nature found in the city, the historic and modern transportation lines at the site, and the local history of the area. The intricate patterning recalls the ornamentation of the historic cash registers manufactures in the area. This patterning follows curves taken from the patterns found in the trolley cars that once ran through the site. These historic pattern precedents are combined and given a contemporary treatment that transforms leaf patterns into abstracted butterfly imagery. Butterflies are symbols of transformation and strength, representing Kettering’s renewal and vitality. The screens will become gateway markers, and are illuminated to become beacons at night.
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