Love Park will never look like it once looked, but thanks to an online auction, one lucky bidder can soon own a piece of its history.
Skateboarders have already corralled much of the former site’s granite for future use at another skatepark, the iconic LOVE statue is undergoing renovations and the park itself is in the midst of a sweeping redesign.
- RELATED STORIES
- Where did Philly's LOVE sculpture go? Iconic attraction undergoes restoration
- Philadelphia is auctioning off a suit of armor for some lucky kid
- Skateboarders' goal: Make Philly the world's 'most skateable city'
- LOVE sculpture to bid farewell to Dilworth Park, its temporary home
As such, the City’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Enonomy (OACCE) thought the time was right to put the LOVE sculpture’s trapezoidal pedestal up for an online auction on Municibid on June 14.
Bidding started at $100, and has already reached $310 with bidding coming to a close on July 11.
Now, for a little backstory.
That pedestal – which is available since the city is fabricating a new one for the LOVE statue as part of the redesign of the site – was originally designed in the early 1980s after an internal Department of Public Property contest.
Fun facts: Before that, it sat atop a cardboard box. Also, the artist – Robert Indiana – never liked the pedestal’s shape, preferring rectangular bases.
Margo Berg, the OACCE's public-art director, said the park redesign offered the perfect opportunity to update the pedestal. She said the city is legally required to put such items up for public bid instead of just giving them away.
"The original pedestal served the sculpture very well over the years," she said. "The new pedestal will be like the one at the AMOR statute, a simple open-frame form offering views of the Parkway."
If you’re interested in bidding on the item, the auction is available via this link.