SPOKANE, Wash. — Visitors to Riverfront Park this weekend for Pig Out in the Park will find one prominent art piece off-limits to the public.
The Stepwell sculpture, located near Spokane Falls and one of the park’s larger pieces that is hard to miss, remains chained and padlocked with no clear timeline for reopening. The installation cost the city over half a million dollars just two years ago.
Even though the artwork looks rough and worn, the city says it’s not falling apart. City officials say the measures are in place for public safety and to protect the artwork, claiming this was anticipated when putting it in.
Sydney Barton visited Riverfront Park with her dad, drawn to the Stepwell out of curiosity.
“When I saw it I was like, that’s actually sick,” Barton said.
Like many visitors, she was met with a shared experience of finding the installation locked.
“I saw it was locked up. I was like, all right, cool,” she said. “Like that was a lot for it to be locked up.”
According to city officials, the sculpture is currently closed for repairs as part of yearly maintenance. Public records show the city of Spokane has known about ongoing repair needs since at least 2023 and has been looking for more permanent solutions.
“It involves some woodworking skills like removing plugs and going in and tightening some bolts that help keep that structure secure,” said Fianna Dickson with the City of Spokane Parks and Recreation Department.
Dickson says the installation is open when it’s safe for the piece and visitors. However, some park visitors report they have never seen the installation open to the public.
“They’ll find the gate open during the day and then closed overnight when the park is closed during overnight hours. And that is really to reduce the vandalism that Stepwell was experiencing,” Dickson said.
The closure has left the artwork inaccessible for weeks at a time. A public records request has been submitted to determine exactly how much these repairs have already cost in addition to the artwork being off limits for weeks at a time.
“If something else is discovered, that’s what the routine maintenance is for an opportunity to go in and do additional checks or maintenance as needed,” Dickson said.
The city will soon seek bids from companies for repairs but didn’t have a definitive timeline to provide.
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