Put up in the 1970s and taken down in the 1990s, this Renton streetlight is back in commission — new and improved.

On Aug. 1, the city held a public art dedication for a streetlight originally erected in downtown Renton in the 1970s alongside various other streetlights of the same kind. The dedication was held on South 3rd Street and Williams Avenue South, with Renton Arts Commission members, various Renton employees, and a few city council members in attendance.

“When I heard that this was coming back, I was so excited, so excited. I see this being something where people will come and take wedding pictures, will come and just take photos because it’s so amazing and iconic and it’s part of our capital improvement plan,” Renton City Council President Ed Prince said. “Public art not only helps create a better aesthetic, but it also helps us, you know, again, beautify our area, beautify the city, make things better, and give people something to come to and be attracted to.”

Former Renton Arts Commission chair Mary Clymer said growing up, she remembered seeing the streetlights all through downtown. When someone else from the city brought up trying to acquire one of the streetlights, she said she jumped on the idea. She said she immediately began inquiring to the community to see if anyone had one. She said people from throughout all of Washington said they had one, but the challenge was finding who wanted to donate one.

After searching, Clymer said they found that the Cugini family wanted to donate their streetlight. Now, the light is erected in front of a building owned by the Cugini family downtown.

“It is a very unique light. I always felt like it has the feel of the sea, kind of a ship feel to it. Very industrial parts,” Clymer said. “When we were looking to get them, somebody described them as tinker toy lights. Like something you would see in like, a toy mobile world. And I think they said it as kind of a put-down. But I really took it to heart and thought, yeah, they really are kind of industrial, with a little bit of space age for the time feel to it.”

Clymer said the streetlight was repainted jet black when they got it from the Cugini family’s property, but they wanted to get it as close to the original as possible. She said they couldn’t find the original color scheme in any of the original city documents, but they had a reference of the original colors and tried their best to match them.

“I hope this stays here. I hope I can drive by for the rest of my life and see this here,” Clymer said. “It’s a good reminder that as we continue to grow and develop as a city, our roots are still here.”

Restoration

Western Neon’s creative director Dylan Neuwirth said they started the restoration by removing the streetlight from the Cugini property. He said the light was structurally in good shape, but it was dirty and beat up by the weather. Despite its condition, Neuwirth said they were able to clean it, pull out all of the electrical, figure out the paint scheme, then prep it and paint it.

Neuwirth said they replaced the original halogen bulbs with LED bulbs so the colors could change. Neuwirth said the differences between when it was originally made and now are minimal, with the only noticeable difference being the change in the bulb.

The glass over the light bulbs is milk glass, which Neuwirth said is uncommon nowadays. He said the glass is hard to make, but the ones on the streetlight are from the original installation and just had to be cleaned.

“Well, these products are always difficult because you’re trying to maintain the historical integrity of the object, and you’re trying to be sensitive to not only the construction techniques and to keep it both archival, but also make it up to date and make it safe for being out in the public eye,” Neuwirth said. “So I think that adds a little layer of difficulty to it. … Public art is always a challenge because it’s got to meet a lot of expectations. So it has to be something that is aesthetically pleasing but also has longevity to it.”

The grandson of Alex Cugini, Alexander O’Neill, represented the Cugini family. Alex Cugini was one of the original advocates for installing these lights, but eventually his wife, Norma Denzer Cugini, advocated taking the lights down because they were not very functional at the time. Once they were put out for auction, Norma Cugini bought one for Alex Cugini as a gift.

O’Neill said his grandparents had the lights for 30 years, and even a rose bush eventually grew around the light and survived the streetlight’s removal.

“It’s always just been something in the background. I never heard many stories about it,” O’Neill said. “It was just a light pole to me that had a rose bush growing on it, but through this project and the city’s interest in restoring it, I’ve learned a lot about it. I’ve gained a greater connection to it.”

O’Neill said the light pole was in the backyard of the home, and said it was special to his grandparents.

“I think they’d love it, I think they’d love it,” O’Neill said. “They’ve always taken a great interest into this city, and the look, and the vibrancy of the downtown area, so I think they would be smiling about this right now, absolutely.”