State Street Park, Fremont, California

Turning Point

The art plan for Fremont’s State Street Park was to “create a social heart for the city.” The thrust for this development was to bring civic life to a vibrant working and living community while ushering the city center into the 21st century as a modern, forward-thinking urban environment.

The art component Turning Point is fully integrated throughout the composition of the plaza. Turning Point includes three stainless steel sculptural elements and granite seating. The complex, vertical, and playful sculptures were created as the terminus to State Street, signaling the entrance to the park. One can see the Beacon Avenue sculpture from 500 feet away, expanding the viewer’s experience of the plaza and identifying its location in anticipation of one’s arrival. The middle sculpture, punctuating the center of the park, creates a shade canopy with lighting at night. Fifty-one sculptural white granite benches are integrated throughout to define and organize gathering areas, giving the many daily visitors places to meet, have lunch, and play.