Giant cardinal sculpture to be unveiled at Richmond intersection

Feb 12, 2026 - 21:25

0 0

Giant cardinal sculpture to be unveiled at Richmond intersection

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- A giant cardinal sculpture will be unveiled at a Richmond intersection Friday afternoon to celebrate the area as a gateway and gathering place.

The 7-foot-high steel cardinal sculpture -- created by Richmond-based artist Noah Scalin -- will be unveiled at the intersection of South Addison Street at 2 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 13, after it was installed on Friday, Jan. 23 by local fabricator Chris Martin.

Before this year, the bridge was largely utilitarian and visually hidden. Scalin, who grew up in the city's Fan district, explained the process behind the location of said installation to transform an unsightly area into a community gathering spot.

"I thought art might be a nice way to create a sense of ownership and a sense of [what] the neighborhood might feel like, 'Hey, we should make this a pleasant place to be instead of something that was, you know, unpleasant,'" Scalin told 8News. "So I was honored that they asked me to do it."

It marks a major milestone in reimagining the terminus of Addison Street and the base of Richmond’s only pedestrian bridge over the Downtown Expressway, according to a press release.

The design centers on a bold version of Virginia's state bird, the Northern cardinal, created from corten steel -- designed to last for a long time outside, Scalin said.

"Cardinal Points" also revealed the bridge as a civic landmark and transformed the area into a special place that invites people to gather, reflect and reconnect with the site's history, the release states.

"Cardinal Points" sculpture installation on Jan. 23. (Photo Courtesy: Noah Scalin)

"The piece itself is designed to be visible as a bird from essentially the two sides of it," he said. "But if you go around probably the front, it basically vanishes and turns into just a grid representing the grid of the streets of the city."

While the piece offers two views of a bird, Scalin highlighted the importance of using public art as a vehicle for storytelling.

"It's important that we use public art as a way of telling the stories about ourselves that we want, the future we want to have, rather than the past that we did have," Scalin said. "I'm excited to be contributing to that and saying, 'Hey, this is another way of communicating and connecting.'"

The project was commissioned by the development team of the adjacent Parkline Townhomes -- a new townhome development that has transformed a barbed-wire-enclosed parking lot into a vibrant neighborhood, per the release.

"Making something new as an artist that people haven't seen before requires trust," Scalin said, explaining that Lori Markham contacted him to help improve the area and have a piece of art. "I was really glad that they believed in me and thought that I could produce something ... I was really happy that [they] gave me this opportunity."

He emphasized the community aspect that comes with inviting Richmonders to leave notes, books and small items in the sculpture, as he begins to envision how the piece will fit into the city's public art scene.

"I'd love to see how these things develop organically," he said. "The community can decide [for] itself what form it will take and how it will happen, letting that be something that the community decides, rather than dictating to them."

The official unveiling ceremony will include remarks from city officials, the artist and project partners, followed by a ribbon-cutting and community photo opportunities, the release said.