The colorful steel birds are part of the Washington Street Beatification Project which also includes street median landscaping. The streetscape improvements along West Washington Street between Albatross and Dove will help invigorate the Mission Hills commercial district, and provide a dramatic focal point as well as civic pride. The goal of this project is to create a more pedestrian friendly community, attracting people to the distinctive neighborhood of Mission Hills, said Wear.
Many neighborhoods experience median improvements along their main thoroughfares.
This project is unique in that it ties into the historic fabric of the community, continuing on the theme of avian-named streets along West Washington Street, he added. The goals of PAN are to involve communities and artists in the development and creation of site specific artwork and to create symbols which enhance neighborhood pride and identity. Additional resources from the Mission Hills Association, Washington Mutual Bank and private donations were also used to realize the artwork. The beatification project began in 1990 when date palms and other street trees and landscaping were planted in the medians on Washington Street at the entrance to Mission Hills west of the Goldfinch Street to Sixth Avenue. Each tree along the sidewalks is surrounded by a bed of day lilies.