There’s something different about the crosswalks leading to the Gallo Center. See why
The road to the Gallo Center is no longer painted in music.
The piano keyboard and other musical artwork that made up the crosswalks around the Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto have been painted over into regular city crosswalks.
Changed in 2017, the crosswalks made for a unique look leading to the downtown venue.
According to Sonya Severo, public relations and legislative affairs manager for the city of Modesto, the decision to switch out the crosswalks came along with city’s I Street corridor improvement project.
The project makes intersection improvements including curb extensions and high-visibility crosswalks for pedestrians and bicyclists, Severo said in an email interview. That made it a priority to provide a safe, direct path through the intersections.
“Unfortunately, this will impact the ‘Intersection Art,’ most notably called the Piano Keys,” she said in the email. “What once was a beautiful addition to the city, the piano keys crosswalk has now succumbed to natural deterioration and it is no longer viable for restoration.”
The musical crosswalk art was initiated by the 2017 Leadership Modesto Class and sponsored by the Downtown Modesto Partnership, Severo said. The 2017 class raised funds to help develop the “interim project” and provide a few years of upkeep.
Chad Hilligus, CEO at the Gallo Center, said in an email that he could not speak to the change in the crosswalks but that those at the center were “supportive” of the decision not to repaint the musical theme.
While Severo said she hasn’t had any comment from the community on the change, some on Reddit lamented the loss of the musical note designs.
“They were getting very faded, but I wish they would have kept it,” posted WarmKitty93.
“Oh my I hadn’t gone down there in a few days. I may just cry,” posted lovenallely.
A mixed reaction from CitizenJp3g read, “While I loved them, the amount of traffic made them pretty much an eyesore quickly imho. Still lame the city couldn’t figure it out, was a cool thing…”
This story was originally published October 23, 2024 at 4:05 PM.
