Totem Pole Removed From Livermore's Centennial Park

LIVERMORE, CA — Livermore's iconic totem pole was removed by the city for a maintenance evaluation.

The statue typically stands at the intersections of Fourth and Holmes streets in Centennial Park.

"We'll update the community upon completion of the evaluation," the city said Thursday.

The totem pole was carved by indigenous artist Adam "Fortunate Eagle" Nordwall in 1969 — the year of the city's centennial anniversary — and formally dedicated to Livermore in 1974.

Things went awry, however, when the city lobbed a few feet off the bottom of the pole to install it in the park. Norwall levied the infamous curse upon the city's sewer system, as the East Bay Times reported. The city reattached the lower portion of the totem pole shortly after sewers backed up in a councilmember's neighborhood, by Norwall's account, the paper reported.

View a complete list of Livermore's public art installations.