The mini-roundabout at the intersection of Kennedy and Hickory Streets in the Warwick Village neighborhood will be getting some artistic beautification soon.
At the same Arts Commission meeting where designs for the next Waterfront Park project debuted, the city showed off new designs for the Warwick Village intersection by art team Chalk Riot.
The project features a mix of influences from the surrounding neighborhood, its history and some local traditions.
The centerpiece of the project is turning the middle of the mini-roundabout into a train wheel design.
“Design is taken directly from historic train car of the immediate area, rooting the project in history while making progressive transportation measures,” the presentation said.
Other areas around the intersection will have designs as well in a durably epoxy paint. One of the more detailed sections includes representations of native flowers, butterflies, the “mysterious Warwick Village fox” and an owl that’s meant to represent “awareness we are encouraging of all visitors to this intersection.”
One of the sections includes a design referencing the village’s annual luminaria event, something most of the Commissioners had never heard of.
The new artwork is scheduled for installation in October. The City will also be analyzing how the artwork impacts traffic at the intersection, collecting data from before and after the installation, to see if there is any statistical impact.
