Our little neighborhood, Eagle Rock, is named after an enormous rock featuring what looks like an imprint of an eagle on it (though some say it’s a beak). If you ask me, it looks like a bird drawn by a kindergartener: two curves. This neighborhood is truly marvelous, containing monuments that trump the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, and even Big Ben himself. Now, if you’ve ever been on Colorado Boulevard, there’s no doubt you’ve passed by a row of incredibly tall cylinders. Enclosed in a green fence, it appears abandoned and destroyed, having received no attention forever. This strange site is called Pillarhenge. Unlike the majestic circle of stones known as Stonehenge, Pillarhenge is a random line of pillars. If you think about it, it's rather ominous. What has happened there? What is going to happen there? Why is it even there?
Pillarhenge is a site that has faced lots of graffiti: From gang tags to artistic displays. Although it is famous for one sculpture: Atop the highest pillar sits a baby bird, although, I’m not sure you can call that monstrosity a bird, much less a baby. After years of deterioration, it looks like a deformed hairless rat that’s been struck by lightning. A sight sure to make any passerbyers turn away.
Many believe that Stonehenge was built by giants, or through extraterrestrial technology, which causes one to wonder: How did Pillarhenge come to be? Did it mysteriously appear one night, or did a group of extremely large eagles hand-make each pillar and carefully drop it onto this plot of land leaving a single eagle chick on top? I asked some Eagle Rock residents, and this is what they told me:
I spoke to juniors Mia Walker and Lily Hoagland. Mia and Lily agree that Pillarhenge was a “construction flop” and that the bird was once “super cute”, though they speculated on how it got there. Lily argues a crane got it up there, however, Mia fantasized that people got the bird up there like in the Mulan training scene where Mulan uses ropes to climb a tall pole (if you know, you know). Now, they find it “creepy” and think “it died a terrible death”. Mia said it gave her “broken down theme-park animatronics” vibes. Lily would like to see a new bird placed upon the pillars, however, Mia admits she thinks it will be gone soon with construction. “It may be time to put her to rest,” says Lily, however, they agree they will miss the bird and Pillarhenge as a whole if it ever does leave.
I hadn’t previously taken the time to consider the origins of Pillarhenge, however, after some digging, I found some articles about it; Who knew how popular it was? As many say, it was an incomplete construction project. As of 2020, the Boulevard Sentinel said the man who owns the land plot containing Pillarhenge, Imad Boukai, hoped to develop it into apartment buildings, yet he put it up for sale “to keep his option open.” And when I said this place has been abandoned forever, I meant it. It was first neglected in 2008, literally before I was born.
Pillarhenge’s future is still uncertain. Many have come to hate it, finding it a sore sight for the community, while others have grown attached to it, considering it an Eagle Rock staple. Recently, when I passed by it, I saw a bulldozer as well as piles of rubble. It may be leaving us soon, but we don’t know for sure. The next time you pass by these pillars, say hello to the deteriorated baby bird, and appreciate it, as it is part of our neighborhood’s history.