Castro’s Jane Warner Plaza Art Installation 'The Seed' To Be Uprooted & Other Improvements On The Way [UPDATED]

Castro art installation 'The Seed' at Jane Warner Plaza will light up one last time Wednesday night before being uprooted and hauled away on Friday.

The LED installation originated from Aphidoidea, a multidisciplinary design, architecture, and art collective based in Los Angeles.

Originally installed in October 2017, The Seed was intended to be a temporary installation, lasting three years.

The project was part of a $150,000 grant to upgrade the long-troubled Jane Warner Plaza, spearheaded by the Castro/Upper Market Community Benefit District (Castro CBD), which oversees and maintains the plaza. Additional upgrades included plaza activations, stewards, and tables and chairs.

The Seed with 'Harvey's Halo' above the former Bank of America building (2017). | Photo: Steven Bracco/Hoodline

 

Castro CBD executive director Andrea Aiello tells Hoodline that they investigated removing the installation in 2021. "We did get an estimate for the cost to take down and haul away; that estimate was for around $15,000," said Aiello.

"We paid $40,000 for the art installation. At the time, the board members were not supportive of paying $15,000 to take down the art installation," added Aiello.

Now, nearly nine years later, the installation has begun to rust and "has passed its prime," says Aiello.

Recently, local activist Michael Petrelis has called for the removal of 'The Seed.' Earlier this month, Petrelis attended an Art Commission meeting demanding that the piece be removed.

Rust has accumulated on The Seed. | Photo: Steven Bracco/Hoodline

 

On Friday, the installation will be dismantled and hauled away. Aiello tells Hoodline that a neighborhood resident has paid for the cost of the removal.

Castro resident and real estate agent David Ayerdi confirmed to Hoodline that he is the person responsible for paying for The Seed's removal.

Aiello says landscaping will be installed in place of the artwork on March 26.

Asked if another art installation will take its place, Aiello said, "The Castro will live without The Seed, or other art in the planters for a while." "The CBD is open to hearing from the community on what they would like to see. Maybe just plants is the best solution, we will see."

Other improvements to the plaza are also on the way.

Tables and chairs, which once dotted the plaza, have dwindled in recent months. Aiello says new tables and chairs have been ordered and will be added on Monday, March 23.

The Pride Flag mural has faded, and pavement continues to crumble at Jane Warner Plaza. | Photo: Steven Bracco/Hoodline

 

Jane Warner Plaza was created in the spring of 2009 as part of the Pavement to Parks initiative. It's undergone many changes, but problems with trash, crime, loitering, and crumbling asphalt have persisted.

Last year, a large Progress Pride Flag mural was painted on the pavement. The project was organized by Harry Breaux and supporters.

Since then, the mural has faded, and it's set to get repainted in mid-May, just in time for Pride Month in June.

Update 3/20:

As promised, The Seed was removed on Friday, March 20.

When a Hoodline reporter stopped by Jane Warner Plaza this morning CBD executive director Andrea Aiello, Castro resident David Ayerdi, and workers were on site dismantling the installation.

David Ayerdi and Andrea Aiello (right) cleaning up the area around. The Seed. | Photo: Steven Bracco/Hoodline

 

The pieces were being piled inside the flatbed of a truck to be hauled away for recycling, said Aiello.

Ayerdi tells Hoodline that they had been out there since 6 a.m.