(The Lemon), (sculpture).

(The Lemon), (sculpture).

Treganza, Alberto O., architect.

Powell, Jon L., designer.

Gillespie, De Lorenzo and Associates, design firm.

Herzog Contracting, engineering firm.

Bechtel Engineering, engineering firm.

(The Lemon), (sculpture).

Lemon Grove Lemon, (sculpture).

ca. 1928-1930. Relocated Feb. 6, 1988.

Lemon: plaster covering wood structure, painted; Base: concrete and green pigmented stucco.

Lemon: approx. 96 x 164 x 84 in.; Base: approx. 40 x 126 x 74 in. (3,000 lbs.).

(On both sides of lemon, painted green:) CITY OF/LEMON GROVE/Calif. (On base, incised:) BEST CLIMATE ON EARTH unsigned

Bright yellow lemon sits atop a base decorated with the imprints of lemon leaves and branches.

Object -- Fruit -- Lemon

Outdoor Sculpture -- California -- Lemon Grove

Administered by City of Lemon Grove, Public Works, 3232 Main Street, Lemon Grove, California 92045

Located Corner of Main Street & Broadway Lane, Lemon Grove, California

The lemon, originally designed for a Fourth of July agricultural parade, was constructed in 1928 by Veterans of Foreign Wars volunteers. Architect Alberto O. Treganza guided the project. When the city was incorporated in 1977, the words "City of" were painted above the words "Lemon Grove, Calif." The Lemon received a new base and several prominent new design elements when it was relocated in 1988. This work was conceptualized and overseen by Jon L. Powell of the design firm Gillespie, DeLorenzo and Associates. Engineers from the Metropolitan Transit Development Board, Herzog Contracting, and Bechtel Engineering were in charge of moving the Lemon. The Metropolitan Transit Development Board (MTDB) paid for the relocation project, including $10,836 for the new base. The relocation of the Lemon was due to the fact that it sat precisely where the new MTDB eastern extension of the trolley line ran. The Lemon has been relocated several times. Previous sites include: the junction of Golden Avenue and the San Diego and Arizona Eastern railway tracks; the median strip between Lemon Grove Avenue and Main Street; and 50 ft. south of Broadway.

IAS files contain related articles from San Diego Union (San Diego, CA), Dec. 23, 1986, and Feb. 6, 1988, pg. B-4; San Diego Evening Tribune (San Diego, CA), Feb. 6, 1988, and Dec. 17, 1957, which has a photo of the Lemon when it was located on Golden Avenue. IAS files also contain an MTDB press release from Feb. 1, 1988. For related articles see: San Diego Union (San Diego, CA), Aug. 26, 1955, and Dec. 28, 1962.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, California, San Diego survey, 1993.

San Diego Evening Tribune (San Diego, CA), Dec. 17, 1957.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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