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There’s a whole section of my brain labeled “The Malls of My Youth.” Frankly, I’d rather that precious, finite space was devoted to “Here’s Where I Left My Wallet” or “The Name of That Guy Who Was in That Thing.” But brains are funny things.
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Shopping malls are, too. We don’t really like enclosed malls anymore, but in their heyday they were part agora, part forum.
They were part art gallery, too. Am I right in remembering that White Flint in Rockville had a weird sculpture that looked like oil dripping down wires? I wonder what happened to it when White Flint was demolished. And whatever became of that toy train that chugged around the food court at Montgomery Mall?
Before it closes, one last trip to a near-empty Lakeforest Mall
In March, Lakeforest Mall in Gaithersburg, Md., closed its doors. I know where the mall’s artwork is: still in the mall. No one can figure out what to do with the four large pieces commissioned for Lakeforest’s opening in 1978.
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And now there’s been a sad development: Artist Robert Perless — creator of “Monad,” a silvery, 32-foot-tall blade — died on Sept. 8. He was 85, though his wife, Ellen Perless, said he did not accept that he was 85.
Perless died after falling from atop a 25-foot ladder he’d climbed to clear out the roof drains of their Greenwich, Conn., home. Perless designed and built the unique house — clad in anodized aluminum — himself and didn’t trust anyone else to maintain it. Ellen told me she now imagines Robert running with the five Dobermans they owned.
Lakeforest is going to be demolished, probably this spring or summer, said Kevin Rogers of the South Carolina-based developer WRS Inc. In its place will be a mixed-use development of 1,600 residential units and more than a million square feet of commercial space. There’s no place in the project for “Monad” or for Lakeforest’s three other gargantuan works, by Chris Byars, William Crovello and Buky Schwartz.
Rogers said none of them are suitable to be placed outside. They were made for inside and wouldn’t withstand the elements.
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“We do not have any desire to just chuck them in the trash can,” Rogers said. “At the same time, we don’t have an answer as to where they might go.”
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Rogers said that while it would be great to sell the sculptures, “I think if someone had a suitable home for them and means to remove them then we’d give strong consideration to a donation.”
Of course, that is not an inconsiderable task. It’s not like they’ll fit in the back of a Subaru.
Glenn Fellman, publisher of the satirical website the Montgonion (montgonion.com), has been having fun with this predicament. The humor site has Photoshopped the sculptures in various places around the county, from in front of Gaithersburg’s Casey Community Center to in front of Olney Theatre Center.
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McLean, Va., reader Jon Gafni emailed me a good suggestion for Perless’s “Monad.” Gafni has never been to Lakeforest Mall and thus hasn’t seen it in person, but the propeller-like shaft prompted him to write: “How about putting it at Dulles Airport, on the main terminal platform of the AeroTrain? If the statue can be moved there, I think there’s plenty of headroom to accommodate its 32-foot height.”
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That’s not a bad idea, actually. There are some big aeronautical works at Heathrow that remind me of “Monad.”
In my opinion, it’s probably the Lakeforest piece that’s aged the best. It doesn’t scream 1970s quite as much as the others.
I interviewed Robert Perless in May. “I think it would be a shame to destroy that piece,” he said of “Monad.”
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Perless said the sculpture is “all about the individuality of a form. It’s a form that looks majestic yet contains a personality that speaks about sufficiency. It’s like a sentinel.”
It’s a sentinel that may soon have nothing to guard.
Rogers, the developer, said: “People are welcome to reach out to us, if they have an idea” of where it could go. Send an email to newlakeforest@wrsrealty.com.
Helping Hand
Here’s an idea: Participate in The Washington Post Helping Hand. That’s our annual fundraising drive for three worthy local charities: Bread for the City, Friendship Place and Miriam’s Kitchen. Each of them works to end homelessness and hunger in Washington. Won’t you give? To donate, visit posthelpinghand.com.
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