Standin' on the Corner Park
| Standin' on the Corner Park | |
|---|---|
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| Type | Municipal |
| Location | Winslow, Arizona |
| Coordinates | 35°1′24.54″N 110°41′53.03″W / 35.0234833°N 110.6980639°W |
| Created | 1999 |
| Operated by | Standin' On The Corner Foundation |
Standin' on the Corner Park is a public park in Winslow, Arizona, opened in 1999, commemorating the song "Take It Easy" which was written by Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey and most famously recorded by the Eagles. The song includes the verse "Well, I'm a-standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona and such a fine sight to see. It's a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford slowin' down to take a look at me." The park contains a two-story trompe-l'œil mural by John Pugh, a Ford flatbed truck, and a bronze statue by Ron Adamson[1] entitled "Easy" (which resembles Browne, but represents "the troubadour") who is standing on a corner with a guitar by his side. The park is surrounded by a wall of bricks, with windows to peer into; each brick has a donor's name on it, and a story by each of the donors describing their fondness for Winslow, Arizona.[2]
History
[edit]Until the 1970s, Winslow was a thriving town in northern Arizona just off Route 66. When I-40 bypassed the community many local businesses disappeared, the tourism sector being among the hardest hit. While some local jobs remained (Winslow is the base of operation for nearly 1,000 railroad workers), the local downtown was badly hurt by the influx of national chains such as Walmart and McDonald's along the new interstate highway to the north of the town.[3] Twenty years passed and Winslow was stuck in a commercial rut.
The Standin' on the Corner Foundation was formed to create a renaissance of Winslow. Determined to build on tourism, the foundation took advantage of the town being mentioned in the song "Take It Easy" made famous by the Eagles. From 1997 until 1999, the foundation sought out donors and planned design concepts. On September 10 and 11, 1999 the park was opened to the public.[2]
On October 18, 2004, there was a fire at the Standin' on the Corner Park. While the face of the building and the actual corner survived, the rest of the building was burned down.[4][failed verification]
The 2006 release of animated film Cars brought renewed attention to the efforts to save local U.S. Route 66 main street businesses in towns long bypassed.
In September 2016, a statue was unveiled at the park in the likeness of Glenn Frey, who died earlier that year.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ "Ron Adamson Studio and Artworks – Original Western Art". ronadamson.com.
- ^ a b "History of the Park". Standin' On The Corner Foundation. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
- ^ Bell, L. (July 2007). "In Winslow Arizona". Inside Outside Southwest. Archived from the original on November 30, 2010.
- ^ Bruner, Betsey (October 13, 2007). "Not just Standin' still". Arizona Daily Sun. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
- ^ "Winslow gets life-sized statue of the Eagles' Glenn Frey". 12 News. September 28, 2016. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
External links
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