New Westminster aims to beautify its 'Stairway to Nowhere'

When people walk bythe staircase outside the main entrance of Harm Wolding's wine shop in New Westminster, they usually say one of two things:"Is that ever ugly?" or "Why would anyone ever decide to put a staircase there?"

Wolding says they're both excellent questions.

"It's the staircase to nowhere," he said. "Welcome to New West."

The city acknowledges the stairs are an eyesore, which is why beautification proposals are being accepted from artists until March 1.

The artist with the best plan to spruce up the stairs will get a $70,000 grant from the city.

"What we're really hoping for is something interactive, something innovative and something that's using sound or light," said Biliana Velkova, New Westminster's Arts Coordinator.

"We want this structure to really be part of the public realm of Front Street."

Stuck with stairs

When half of the parkade on Front Street was torn down two years ago in an attempt to open up the city's waterfront, the fire escape that connected the parking structure to the third floor of Wolding's building was also demolished.

But because the fire code requires an emergency exit from the top floor, new stairs had to be built on the corner of Front Street and Mckenzie Street.

"There's not much you can do with a big, galvanized steel staircase that has to be there, no matter what," Wolding said.

The vision

Velkova would like the staircase to resemble the public art project in Bastion Square in downtown Victoria.

Thedisplay allows people to play music on the railings, which light up in bright colours.

"It can become part of a lot of the events that we do here in the summer," she said.

Wolding believes the money could be better spent elsewhere.

"I think a pig with lipstick is the phrase that I've heard before," he said.

"So, a pig with lipstick is what we're going to have on Front Street."