One of the many reasons to love Seattle is the city’s abundance of unique public art pieces. Possibly the most famous work of public art in Seattle is the Fremont Troll. It has been a beloved fixture of the Emerald City for over 30 years, even making an appearance in popular movies like 10 Things I Hate About You. Now the Fremont Troll has another accomplishment to boast about: winning the best public artwork in the region.
Earlier this month, Axios asked their readers to vote for the best public artwork in the Mountain West. Cities included in the competition were Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, San Diego, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Denver, and Boulder. Each city submitted two of their “best and weirdest” public artworks, so the March Madness-style bracket started out with 16 public artworks.
The Fremont Troll beat out Denver’s Blucifer in the first round, Salt Lake City’s The Whale in the second round, and San Diego’s Fallen Star in the third round. In the fourth and final round of voting, the Troll came up against the other Seattle art installation that also made it to the last round: Hat n’ Boots. The giant cowboy hat and boots structure is located in Oxbow Park in Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood.
Although Hat n’ Boots has actually been in Seattle longer than the Fremont Troll (since 1953!), it never achieved the same level of fame. For one thing, it never got the Hollywood treatment like the Troll did in the ’90s. And perhaps the Troll’s Scandinavian inspiration ties in more nicely with Seattle’s Nordic roots than the Western vibe of Hat ‘n Boots—or maybe Seattleites just really love trolls. Whatever the reason, we’re not surprised to see the Fremont Troll come out on top.
Make sure to stop by Fremont this October on Halloween to wish the Troll a happy birthday!