DESCRIPTION
The artists, Robert Irwin and Douglas Campbell, collaborated to create an open space that connects the public with the natural world. Within the sunken courtyard, three elements offer a narrative about the natural Pasadena landscape and its public spaces: a tree, a fountain and a decorated column. A massive California Sycamore (Platanus racemosa), which traditionally signals the presence of water and habitation in the dry southern California, grows next to the head of a fountain. The fountain, which begins as a softly upwelling source springing from the roots of the sycamore, recognizes the importance and preciousness of water to life. Water glides down a narrow channel to the base of the Sentinel column where it disappears into the gravel floor. The Sentinel, the third ceremonial object in the Courtyard, rises as a column carrying the blue light recognizing the police department, the guardians of the City. The Sentinel column is a symbol of the safe haven Pasadena residents call home. Such a sign of police protection and assistance reinforce the presence of the Police Department facing The Pasadena Way. The combination of the tree and water elements and the symbolic blue hue of the Sentinel's beam embody the expression of civic values within the Pasadena community.