A History Link Essay – posted in 2019 by Rita Cipalla. (Thanks to Ann M.)
Richard Beyer: People Waiting for the Interurban, 1978 cast aluminum sculpture.
A History Link Essay – posted in 2019 by Rita Cipalla
On June 17, 1978, a life-size, cast-aluminum sculpture depicting five adults, a child-in-arms, and a dog with a human face, all waiting for a trolley car, is dedicated at noon in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood during the Fremont Fair. Situated on a triangular space at the corner of N 34th Street and Fremont Avenue N, close to the Fremont Bridge, the statue was created by local sculptor Richard S. Beyer (1925-2012), whose studio is on Lake Union. Beyer moved with his family to Seattle in 1957, initially intending to pursue an academic career. Part way through a Ph.D. program in economics at the University of Washington, he quit to become an artist. People Waiting for the Interurban is his first large-scale, multi-figure cast aluminum commission.
Tribute to a Bygone Era
Richard Beyer’s selection to create a piece of public art for Fremont came about by accident. The Fremont Im- provement Committee, of which Beyer was a member, was looking for ways to promote the neighborhood. The location for some kind of installation — a bench or signage, for example — had already been determined: A triangu- lar spot close to the Fremont Bridge which was slated for paving by the city. Beyer suggested an art competition. The committee approved the idea and the art contest moved forward, but it didn’t attract a single entry. Beyer, whose foundry was in Fremont and who had spent more than a decade trying to establish his art career, volun- teered to create a sculpture for the space. He went door to door seeking pledges. Once a few donations rolled in, he came up with several concepts.
His first idea was to create a statue depicting a ship rising out of the water to capitalize on Fremont’s location on a ship canal. He discarded that idea and proposed another, a cougar. That didn’t work out either. When he heard that pieces of the Interurban, the electric trolley line that operated between Seattle and Everett from 1910 to 1939, might be buried near the Fremont Bridge, he knew he had found the perfect subject matter.
We took out of town guests to see the sculpture. They wanted to photograph it but the traffic was heavy. I told them to step to the curb with cameras ready and wait for a clear spot. As soon as they approached the curb, everyone stopped, providing the clear view. Thats Seattle!! Thats what is supposed to happen.