City Council will establish the voter-approved Office of the Inspector General with expanded oversight authority, consider meeting rule changes including Mayor scheduling authority, and review extending the tobacco retail permit moratorium through 2026.
Ward 1 Councilmember Philip Falcone (left) and metal artist Rico Alderette stand with the 12-foot Raincross sculpture installed behind City Hall. (Justin Pardee)
A towering Raincross sculpture installed behind City Hall fulfills a vision from the building's original 1975 design—50 years after architects first intended monumental metal artwork to complement the building.
Ward 1 Councilmember Philip Falcone commissioned metal artist Rico Alderette to create the 12-foot sculpture, which replicates the midcentury Raincross design stamped throughout City Hall's walls, walkways and glass.
"From the early days of planning new City Hall, the architects and Mayor Ben Lewis stressed that any new building should have public art—sculptures on the exterior in particular," Falcone said.
That vision led to installation of sculptor James Rosati's red "Tripod" in late 1976 as City Hall's companion artwork. When the Tripod was relocated to Fire Station 5 in 2010, Falcone said City Hall lost something integral to its original intent.
"City Hall was missing something that was part of the original intent for the complex—a monumental metal sculpture," he said.
A distinctive design
The idea crystallized during Falcone's research for his book "City Hall 50: Building a City Beautiful." While interviewing former planning director Bill Gardner about the 1975 move from old City Hall to the new building, Gardner revealed his role in the midcentury proliferation of Raincrosses around Downtown, particularly on tree grates along Lime Street.
"I then realized the two could go together—a giant Raincross in honor of the upcoming anniversary and make it the midcentury Raincross to match City Hall," Falcone said. "I also have a tattoo of this particular Raincross, so I was a little biased towards it."
Falcone shows Alderette one of the historical banners displaying photos from City Hall's original planning, including Mayor Ben Lewis and sculptor James Rosati with the Tripod sculpture. The new Raincross monument now stands near where Rosati originally wanted to place the Tripod. (Justin Pardee)
Falcone reached out to Alderette early this year, and fabrication began in March. Alderette, whose previous Downtown work includes the 17-foot Love Lock monument, said the commission offered a unique opportunity.
"We've never made that one," Alderette said of the specific Raincross design. "So that was a really cool piece of something that hasn't been done yet. We were totally on board for that."
Honoring the Tripod
While replicating the Raincross design was straightforward, Alderette's team added a technical element honoring Rosati's Tripod: compound angles on every edge except the flat back.
"We wanted to give a nod to the Tripod that was there originally," Alderette said. The original Tripod featured compound angles—complex cuts that meet in multiple directions.
From left: Sculptor James Rosati, Mayor's wife Dottie Lewis, and Mayor Ben Lewis tour City Hall construction site in 1974; Rosati's orange 'Tripod' sculpture stands in front of the newly completed City Hall in 1976. (Courtesy of Ward 1 Councilmember Phillip Falcone)
The compound angles complicated fabrication. "It makes it actually a lot harder for fitting up before we start mocking it up and welding it together," Alderette said. "You're trying to match in a 3D world—it's not just square and plumb or level and plumb. It's multiple angles trying to line up."
Using 3D computer modeling, Alderette's team built the entire structure in their shop, with all structural support hidden within the Raincross itself. The piece was painted orange, matching the color of the original Tripod.
Installation challenges
Transportation proved challenging. At 9 feet wide, the piece required a special load permit. The team initially planned to ship it lying flat but ultimately transported it upright in a trailer to keep the total height under power lines at 15 feet while moving through the city.
Installation occurred at 6 a.m. with five workers and a forklift. The work sits on a concrete footing at the corner of Main Street, though its location changed during planning.
"The original spot was going to be closer to 10th Street, almost right in front of the council in the breezeway," Alderette said. Complications with footing in that location led to the current placement.
The monument now stands near where Rosati originally wanted to place the Tripod, though a since-removed bandstand prevented that original placement.
Symbol of civic identity
For Falcone, the sculpture carries deeper meaning. The specific Raincross design appears throughout City Hall—stamped on walls, concrete walkways and etched into glass.
"It is effectively City Hall's unique form of the Raincross, thus becoming a symbol for City Hall itself and therefore local democracy, too," he said.
"The cities have gone from just box and fill—just square buildings, rectangles up and down with no beauty," he said. "But you look at the older stuff, man, they put thought and beauty into things. And I think the city is getting back to making sure that there's beautification."
"I'm honored to be part of this and hopefully leave a legacy," Alderette said. "I never would have thought when I was making little benches in my garage that we'd have multiple art pieces Downtown."
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