Big Wheel
Denver Public Art 1%
1997.2.1
Broadway is one of the main approaches to downtown from Denver International Airport. As one passes along Broadway through the industrial outskirts into the high-rise city, the roadway is depressed, and a pump facility is required to drain the boulevard. Ed Carpenter has designed a gateway sculpture that uses the pumphouse as a pedestal to achieve monumental stature. It is seen silhouetted against the city’s skyline by travelers entering the city. Its imagery celebrates the transportation and manufacturing industries that have occupied that part of the city over the years and serve as a reminder of the hardworking, gritty character of this vital neighborhood.