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An archival photo of the Gardenside Plaza bus shelter. IMAGE PROVIDED BY ART IN MOTION
The highly visible Gardenside Plaza bus shelter on Alexandria Drive could soon be getting a considerable facelift if a large chuck of the money needed for the restoration is approved by the Urban County Council in the coming weeks.
The project would be a partnership between Art in Motion and the office of District 11 councilmember Peggy Henson, who represents the area. Art in Motion is a local organization that constructs artistic, often whimsical, bus shelters around town in conjunction with LexTran and area artists; the organization has helped construct shelters on Euclid Avenue, Versailles Road, Elm Tree Lane and other locations.
The Gardenside Plaza bus shelter would be the first time Art in Motion has helped restore an existing structure. All previous projects saw completely new fixtures installed. The shelter was constructed in the late '50s, and the tall, beige brick structure, with its stainless steel lettering, was a design anomaly when it was built, and remains so today.
“This is really the forerunner for Art in Motion,” Hurt said. “What makes this structure unique, it’s mid-century modern architecture, and a lot of us are just beginning to realize that that is unique and historic. It’s the new historic.”
Part of the restoration will include patching up the concrete, striping and reapplying paint, and replacing the old neon tubing with LED lights behind the lettering. The project also provides for a ceramic glass mosaic mural inside the shelter.
In total, the project is estimated to cost around $45,000, with $33,500 of funding coming from the Urban County Council if approved. The remainder of the cost would come from LexTran, local nonprofit Lexington Directions, nearby neighborhood residents, and the Gardenside Shopping Center property owners.
Councilmember Peggy Henson said the project has been in discussion for over three years. She said there was some resistance toward the project on the council, but it gained more support among her colleagues when she reduced the amount of money the council would fund.
Henson said the restoration of the Gardenside Plaza bus shelter has a lot of potential to bring some public art to an area that has very little, and maybe even instill some neighborhood pride.
“(The bus shelter) may be something very simple, and people might not pay that much attention to it, but they will now,” Henson said. “I hope it brings some vibrancy to the area.”