From the city:
The 50-foot light towers are the centerpiece art work for City Plaza, that also serve a practical application. Created by renowned Greensboro artist Jim Gallucci, the light towers will allow for varying levels of lights for a myriad of uses in the City’s celebration plaza.
The tower design integrates LED lights, stainless steel oak leaves and a hidden area at the base of the towers that contain electrical panels to be used for various plaza events. The towers also offer a granite bumper seat to accommodate visitors to the plaza in need of a break.
The Oct. 20, 2008, City Plaza groundbreaking marked the beginning of the transformation of the 500 block of Fayetteville Street into the Triangle’s defining cultural and social public place. When completed in October, the plaza will welcome concerts, markets and just about any event that celebrates life as we know it, love it and live it here in the Triangle. The completion of City Plaza and the reopening of the 500 block of Fayetteville Street will be celebrated in style Oct. 24, as a part of the Raleigh Wide Open 4.
Design elements of the plaza include flexible seating, an interactive water fountain, planters and trees. The design of the plaza was a collaborative effort of the City of Raleigh, the City’s design consultant, Kimley-Horn and Associates; and the Project of Public Spaces, a New York-based firm specializing in the analysis and design of public gathering spaces. The design was developed with considerable input from the public and from City boards and commissions at design workshops in the fall of 2006.