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Council approves 30‑foot 'Redwood Dawn' public artwork for CityLine; piece will be ceramic and steel mosaic
Summary
Council approved the final CityLine public art piece, 'Redwood Dawn' by artist Sam Falls, a 30‑foot I‑beam sculpture with inlaid high‑fire ceramic tiles inspired by redwood motifs. Council vote was 7–0; the developer is meeting the 1% public‑art requirement for retail valuation.
The City Council voted unanimously May 6 to approve the final artwork in CityLine’s Phase 2 public‑art program: Redwood Dawn, a 30‑foot totemic sculpture by artist Sam Falls.
Lede facts: the CityLine development satisfies the municipal public art requirement (1% of retail building permit valuation) through a multi‑piece public walk. The CityLine public art program already includes installed works (Fountain by Woody Othello; A Thousand Sons by Future Forms; Dropping the Ball by Camille Monroe; Redwood Blue by Mark Hanforth). Redwood Dawn will be the final Phase 2 piece and is planned for the Washington–Francis pedestrian corridor.
Why it matters: the piece is both large and highly visible for downtown: a 30‑foot steel I‑beam with recessed faces filled with glazed ceramics made using plant impressions and glazes inspired by local redwood materials. Council and staff said the work complements the new streetscape and will serve as a visual beacon for the CityLine plaza.
Staff presentation: Kristen Dance of Library and Recreation Services summarized the CityLine public art accounting and noted the developer’s art contribution is trending to exceed the 1% requirement (the retail 1% requirement was shown as $1,378,090 in the staff estimate tied to building permit valuation). Ellie Hunter (public‑art consultant) and artist Sam Falls described the work’s concept and materials. Falls’ process uses plant impressions pressed into ceramic, high‑fire glazes and a steel armature; the design includes a warm‑to‑cool tile color progression intended to reference forest floor to sky and a vertical column intended to read from pedestrians approaching the park.
Safety and durability: staff said the City’s permit and engineering review will require seismic anchoring and that the sculpture’s ceramic tiles are high‑fire ceramics set into mortar and a steel mesh to resist breakage and to allow cleaning. Lighting will be designed with a lighting consultant to illuminate the tall form while respecting dark‑sky and glare considerations.
Council action: Vice Mayor Selle moved approval and Council member Cisneros seconded. The council voted 7–0 to authorize Redwood Dawn as the final Phase 2 artwork and to proceed with engineering, fabrication and installation; the motion included standard requirements for permitting, seismic anchoring and final lighting design. The council asked staff to coordinate final lighting to avoid excessive glare and to confirm final installation details with engineering and the City’s public‑art program.
Next steps: staff will finalize engineering and permitting drawings, confirm lighting design (working with a lighting consultant), accept final invoicing from the developer and schedule fabrication/installation. The foundation for the artwork was previously installed under the pavers to minimize later disruption.
Ending: With approval of Redwood Dawn, CityLine’s Phase 2 public art program is complete and the multi‑work art walk will be an added downtown civic amenity. The project now moves into final engineering, permitting and fabrication.
