Beauty in the Eye of the Rosslyn Passersby

Art Will Move to Other Work Sites

Over 10 days in October 2007, a construction site in Rosslyn became home to a rapid-fire re-creation of classic paintings. Now the developer has donated most of the paintings to Rosslyn so they can continue to beautify construction sites.

The paintings were the work of Sidewalk Sam, a Boston-based artist hired by the developer, Turnberry, to re-create 20 classic works at a two-a-day clip. The 5-by-8-foot canvases spent 20 months throughout the Turnberry Tower construction site at Fort Myer Drive and Key Boulevard.

The intention was to line the site with images of Renoirs and Monets, creating a recognizable site and giving those in the area something to look at besides a wall of ads.

The 26-story Turnberry Tower is expected to open next month, so 14 of the 20 paintings were donated to the Rosslyn Business Improvement District. Those paintings will be hung in an outdoor gallery at Metro Park, across the street from the Rosslyn Metro station and in an area anticipating construction work.

The rest went to nonprofit groups, including the Arlington Street People's Assistance Network, the Arlington Food Assistance Center and the BalletNova Center for Dance, formerly the Center Dance Company.

"I love it if we can break down the barrier between the creator and the audience," Robert "Sidewalk Sam" Guillemin said during the painting marathon in 2007.

He's been re-creating classics on sidewalks for decades. During his time in Rosslyn more than a year and a half ago, he worked studiously but amiably chatted with any pausing passersby.

The impetus behind Rosslyn receiving the paintings came in the form of upcoming construction projects in the neighborhood, according to Cecilia Cassidy, executive director of the Rosslyn Business Improvement District.

"Our number one goal was to deal with the construction sites," she said. "We were conscious that we wanted to have the area look more inviting than just having chain-link fences around these construction sites."

Cassidy specifically cited the construction of two sites adjacent to the Metro station: A project developed by Monday Properties, at 1812 N. Moore St., just north of the Metro station, and JBG Companies' Central Place, between North Moore and North Lynn streets across from the station. They are expected to be 384 and 387 feet tall, respectively.

"Keeping Rosslyn attractive during that period of time is one of our priorities," Cassidy said, noting that the group brought in planters to surround construction sites and discussed with developers ways to keep the area looking nice.

"We thought it would be fun to have a gallery of these pictures," she said. "You really can experience the paintings, not in a fleeting way. Because the way they were at Turnberry Tower was as much for vehicular traffic going by, you didn't have as much of a chance to sit in front of one."