This holiday season, you may have noticed that light-projected snowflakes have replaced the multi-color holiday lights that typically hang from the Veterans Memorial Building’s 122-foot tower, located at the corner of Culver Boulevard and Overland Avenue. The change is the result of the City’s commitment to keeping our community safe for all, including City staff.
Recently, the City engaged a registered structural engineer to evaluate employee safety while hanging the lights. Completed on December 12, the engineer’s report found that the current safety measures are not sufficient for preventing serious injury or death to city staff. The City will evaluate the cost, timeframe and skills required to ensure a safe installation before determining whether the traditional lights will return in the future.
We know our community will miss the traditional lights (we will too!), but we hope you enjoy the new decorations and have a happy and safe holiday season.
City of Culver City
I really hope this is the real reason and it’s not due to some controversy over the Christian holiday. Otherwise, the image of snowflakes would be entirely appropriate!
We offer accurate, intelligent journalism, five days a week; these are facts, and yes, it is the real reason. Thanks for writing –
Looking forward to the return of the tree next year then! According to my CC FB page, and NextDoor, these certainly aren’t the only reasons! Hope you delve deeper!
I’m wondering if Judith has found out anything more? The debate is pretty big over here in Culver City. Bowing to the loud liberal bunch is a cowardly move. It’s disappointing how traditions are being thrown away. Erasing history. And what are the reasons?
My info from Parks and Rec is that it was simply a safety issue. The tower is old, the equipment was old, and it was deemed to be unsafe.
Holiday celebrations change; we’ve only had Christmas trees since Queen Victoria’s German husband included them in the celebration. Santa Claus isn’t even that old…
I expect the tower will be taken down in the next decade. It has no further use.
Will the tree be back this year?
Thank you
There is no definitive answer from the city just yet, but I can’t imagine that it will be. The installation of lights on the top of the tower were deemed to be “too hazardous” for city workers to install (the tower is very old-) last year and I think the new tradition of broadcasting a picture will be back.
It’d be nice to see the return of the iconic tree this year… hopefully!
Since the issue was worker safety, and the Tower is kind of a historical relic, it seems the new lighting is the best of all possible worlds – Even traditions change.
Has the city determined anything yet? I really am dissapointed to not see a Christmas tree on top of that tower. I grew up in culver city and you can see that Christmas tree for miles. When you saw it durinh Christmas, you always felt happy to be heading home. Additionally and traditionally, christmas trees signifies new life and the lights signify being that light during the christmas season which is a fundamental christian calling. Not having it really removes any traditional means to celebrate the season and I really hope the city makes this a priority as it was a symbol of hope and love for all who saw it.
The City’s change from the old ‘stings of lights’ display to the current light projection was because the tower was deemed to be too dangerous for workers.