Today is a major date on the West Seattle calendar – the anniversary of the day that paved the way for the current West Seattle Bridge, June 11, 1978, when a freighter piloted by Rolf Neslund hit what was then the main West Seattle Bridge and rendered it inoperable, settling a long tussle over replacing it. For a variety of reasons, Neslund has since become the subject of lore, and even of tributes chronicled here in recent years. The Southwest Seattle Historical Society is now the home of what remains of one of them – here’s the announcement:
The Southwest Seattle Historical Society is pleased to announce a unique donation from West Seattle resident Rose Feliciano.
(SWSHS photo: Executive director Elizabeth Rudrud, donor Rose Feliciano, Mike Shaughnessy of WSHS board)
The Rolf Neslund Memorial Shrine bust was placed by the West Seattle bridge by an anonymous artist who identified themselves as Lars Fujikawa in September 2020. The original bust was placed with a plaque credited to the “Delridge Maritime Historical Society and the Center for General Annoyance.”
Shortly after the mysterious installation, the statue was vandalized and the concrete bust of Rolf was stolen. (Presumably) Fujikawa repaired and replaced the bust later that month.
In June 2023 the statue was again vandalized and toppled. A local neighbor, Rose Feliciano, with the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, saved the damaged parts, erected a temporary plinth, and reattached the bust and plaques (read more here). In May 2024 the statue was toppled again and once again, Feliciano saved the bust, this time bringing it home. Later that month, (presumably) Fujikawa returned and replaced the entire shrine with a new bust and pedestal.
This announcement arrives on “Saint Rolf’s Day,” commemorated on June 11th, the anniversary of the 1978 event when the freighter Chavez rammed the West Seattle Bridge.
The Southwest Seattle Historical Society recognizes the cultural impact and historic association of this artwork. The organization will plans to accept the artifact as a loan while efforts to contact the original artist continue.
You can learn about Rolf Neslund, how the fateful accident resulted in the current high-level bridge, and his grisly fate, in the Southwest Seattle Historical Society’s upcoming permanent exhibit, expected to open next month at the Log House Museum.
Happy “Saint Rolf’s Day!”
The museum is in the midst of a temporary closure for that new exhibit, opening.
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