The Pike

Rising over fifty feet into the sky above Northern Virginia suburbs is “The Pike,” a large sculpture composed of a reclaimed wind turbine wing and a steel base studded with coins from around the world. A public art installation created by Donald Lipski, the piece is intended to serve as the western gateway of 3-mile Columbia Pike, one of the oldest thoroughfares in the region and often referred to as Arlington, VA’s “Main Street.” Lipski specifically chose a wind turbine wing due to its unique shape and its reference to the creation of North America’s first windmill in Virginia in the 1600s.

As far as public art goes, “The Pike” is not some generic statue or word-art installation; the funky mishmash of objects cannot be ignored. Its soaring upright position is actually a playful nod to “pikes” used to block drivers from proceeding before paying on toll roads, referencing Columbia Pike’s own history as a toll road in its early days. The structure emulates the vertical standing position of a pike as it welcomes travelers to proceed into the region.

To further emphasize the sculpture’s welcoming aspects, the piece’s pedestal is covered by embedded coins from 117 countries. Reflective of Arlington’s status as “the world in a zip code,” highlighting its multicultural heritage, the 4,784 coins were donated by residents of the area.

Travelers who find themselves motoring or strolling down Columbia Pike might think they’ve stumbled on a scene from a natural disaster movie, a turbine blade thrust into the ground by a tornado or storm. Instead, upon closer inspection, they will find a piece of “found object” art which thoughtfully honors its locale’s history as a crossroads of cars and cultures.