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Bye Felicia! Big blue frame in Garden of the Gods is no more

The City of Colorado Springs is admitting that no one really liked that big blue frame in the Garden of the Gods.
City of Colorado Springs removes the big blue frame that caused a huge controversy.

That big blue frame in the Garden of the Gods that has gotten more than its fair share of negative comments on the internet is being taken down ... after only a week.

Turns out the idea wasn't so picture-perfect, after all.

That’s according to a news release from the City of Colorado Springs and Olympic City USA Task Force that was distributed on Monday morning.

The blue frame was initially conceived by the marketing advisors with the Olympic City USA Taskforce to help promote tourism.

via GIPHY

But, the 12-feet-tall by 8-feet-wide art installation prompted a social media firestorm instead – something that the city acknowledged in the news release.

“Olympic City USA is meant to be a unifying concept, and one that was created to enhance – rather than divide – our civic pride,” the news release reads. “We have received some very thoughtful citizen comments asking for its relocation and we thank those citizens who took the time for constructive communication. In recognition of public sentiment, we are in the process of removing the frame from tis current location.”

The blue frame was removed Monday morning. 

The city initially planned to reevaluate the frame in a year – something that was obviously expedited by the large volume of comments it received from locals (they claim tourists loved the art installation, apparently).

“… we recognize that while one of our goals is driving tourism, the concept focused too heavily on visitors, and was not well-received by local residents who feel a great deal of ownership of the Park,” the news release reads. “That viewpoint is extremely important.”

For what it’s worth, 9NEWS asked our viewers what they thought of the big blue frame last week, and 80 percent of them said “it’s terrible, remove it.”

The big blue frame installation can be seen from the parking lot of Garden of the Gods. The City of Colorado Springs helped secure its donation and installation. 

20,000 people had already signed a Change.org petition for its removal, too.

The frame was removed Monday morning with the help of some heavy equipment, and then driven down the road.

via GIPHY

In a statement last week, the city said no tax money was used for the installation, which was donated by GE Johnson.

The goal was for visitors to take pictures with the frame, hopefully making more people want to visit the iconic Colorado landmark.

Janet Suthers, the wife of Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers, first presented a slide of the proposed frame at a February City Council meeting.

During that same meeting, a board member suggested selling small versions of the frame at the Garden of the Gods visitor center.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: People hate this big, blue frame

Those plans might be on hold – but, don’t expect that big blue frame to disappear forever.

“While the initial execution was flawed, we are excited about the opportunity to eventually relocate the frame to a spot where it can meet its original objectives and become an amenity for both our visitors and our local residents to enjoy,” the news release says.

You can read the full statement from the City of Colorado Springs and Olympic City USA Task Force here:

The blue frame in Garden of the Gods Park was conceived by the marketing advisors on the Olympic City USA Taskforce as an effective way to drive millions of views of our Park by harnessing the power of social media. Based on successes in other cities, the task force put this forward with enthusiasm for sharing one of our most popular attractions worldwide. Our observations since the frame was installed confirmed the task force was correct in assessing its appeal to tourists.

However, we recognize that while one of our goals is driving tourism, the concept focused too heavily on visitors, and was not well-received by local residents who feel a great deal of ownership of the Park. That viewpoint is extremely important.

Olympic City USA is meant to be a unifying concept, and one that was created to enhance – rather than divide - our civic pride. We have received some very thoughtful citizen comments asking for its relocation and we thank those citizens who took the time for constructive communication. In recognition of public sentiment, we are in the process of removing the frame from its current location.

While the initial execution was flawed, we are excited about the opportunity to eventually relocate the frame to a spot where it can meet its original objectives and become an amenity for both our visitors and our local residents to enjoy.

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Considering the City of Colorado Springs has dealt with a lot of negative comments since last week, they could probably use some positive feedback. Since they actually listened to the public's concerns, and did something about it, feel free to drop them a note. Here's a link to the city's Facebook page.

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